Mans Best Friend
by TWDGamerKenny'sBro
Summary: How would the story of season 2 been affected if Sam, the dog, had survived. Lets find out. Warning: Major Season 2 Spoilers. I don't own the Walking Dead. Currently writing chapter 2 Can't Change Fate
1. What Could Have Been

**THE WALKING DEAD: MANS BEST FRIEND CHAPTER 1 WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN **

Sam launched himself at Clementine, sinking his sharp teeth into her arm. Clementine cried out in pain, her frantic eyes meeting Sam's gaze. The dog clutching her arm wasn't the same dog she had met before, she had lost sight of the real Sam, the only thing she saw in his wild eyes was hunger. He had given in to his animal instincts.

Clementine punched Sam in the face, but his grip did not loosen, instead his teeth sunk deeper into her flesh. She punched him again and again and again, until the viscous dog released her arm.

Panicking Clementine kicked Sam as he launched himself at her again. Sam fell back and landed on the other side of the fallen tree.

Silence fell upon the clearing, Clementine got to her feet and stared longingly towards the fallen tree. Her injury was throbbing, every cell in her arm felt like it was on fire. She stared at the dog bite for a moment, blood oozing from her opened up veins.

The whimpering of a dog caught her attention, rolling down her purple striped sleeve she wandered round the log to meet eyes with Sam once again. Whatever anger she felt for him attacking her melted away as she saw how hopeless he was.

A sharp tent pole was stabbed through his hind leg, but the rest of his body was unharmed. He was in pain too, struggling helplessly to break free. Clementine knelt down, watching as Sam whimpered, almost as if he was begging her for her help, for forgiveness. The wild animal was gone.

She gently stroked his head, calming him down. "Looks like we're both injured huh?" She commented as if she was expecting an answer. "Don't worry I'll get you out, just don't struggle, or you'll make it worse"

Clementine took out her pen knife and cut off part of the tent pole, leaving the rest still in his system. Clementine grabbed the pole "I'm going to pull it out okay?"

She grasped it tightly and ripped the tent pole from Sam's leg causing him to howl in pain. She threw the tent pole away and leaned closer to Sam's head, stroking his soft brown fur. "Hush now, it's ok, it's ok". Sam whimpered, his brown eyes soften and he licked Clementine's injury apologetically.

"We should go, quickly" she told him. Clementine winced in pain and clutched her arm. She looked down at Sam as he stood up and rubbed himself against her legs.

"Lets go" she told him as she slid the pen knife back into her pocket and began to trudge towards the edge of the camp and deeper into the woods. Sam limbed next to her, lifting his leg in the air.

Clementine lowered her head and sniffed softly, holding back tears. Omid... Christa... They were gone. All she had was Sam now, she didn't even know if she could rely on him after what he had done.

Her vision blurred, the pain in her arm increased. Sam seemed tense as he drew closer to her side. Clementine lifted her head, her surroundings hazy as she slumped down next too some dark grey rocks.

Sam came to her side, nudging her with his cold wet nose, panic in his eyes. Something was wrong... Very wrong... "I'm so... tired" Clementine told him, her consciousness slipping away.

Her drooping eyelids were heavy as she took in her surroundings again, as she gradually realised that walkers were beginning to approach her, hungry for her flesh.

Sam tugged at Clementine's sleeve with his teeth, growling at her, almost as if he was demanding her to get up. Clementine's vision blurred as she desperately tried to focus on the surrounding walkers.

Sam let go of her sleeve and barked angrily at a nearby walker which was approaching from behind the rocks. "Sam... Don't..." She told him gently, her voice strained. Struggling she stood up and clutched her injured arm tightly. Sam came to her side as she trudged uneasily through the trees.

A walker came from behind, it's arms stretched out as it clawed hungrily at the air, yearning to feast upon her. Sam yelped fearfully, urging Clementine to go faster.

The walker from behind launched itself onto Clementine, forcing her to the ground. She lie on the damp, wet, earth, the walker snapping it's teeth hungrily as it leaned closer towards her neck.

Sam grabbed the walkers arm with his teeth and tired to pull it off Clementine. Sam snarled, a growl erupting from his throat as he pulled more. Clementine held the walker above her, her arms grew tired, the pain in her bitten arm became stronger as she desperately tired to push the walker off. Giving into the strength of the walker, her arms went slack...

A sliver blade cut through the walkers neck, it's head decapitated from it's shoulders. Walker blood splattered over Clementine's face, she looked up to see a brown haired man wearing a orange tattered shirt. With him was an older man, wearing a green jacket and carrying a cross-bow.

Sam barked aggressively at the two strangers, the older man fired his cross-bow at another walker, the arrow ripping through it's head. Clementine's vision hazed as she scanned the walkers around them and the two strangers beside her.

Sam snarled and snapped his teeth at the younger man "Holy shit Pete! It's been so long since I've seen a dog"

"Nevermind that, grab her and lets go!" The older man said who she assumed was Pete. Pete quickly fired another arrow at an approaching walker as the younger man scooped Clementine up in his arms and sprinted through the trees, Pete following close behind, dodging several walkers. Sam's barking seemed distant, an echo inside Clementine's mind as her eyes drooped. The last thing she saw was Sam running close by.

Clementine rolled her head back and stared longingly upwards towards the grey misty sky. She let out a small shaky sigh and exhale deeply, before bowing her head.

The two men were now walking steadily but still being cautious of the area around them. Breathless Pete broke the silence between them "I think... I think we're safe" he commented, scanning the trees for any movement.

"Yeah... Yeah I think we're good" the younger man replied, his attention drawn to the little girl in his arms. "Hey you alright?" He asked concerned.

"I... I think so" she replied, her voice weak and strained. Pete and the younger man flashed each other a small glance and then the two glanced at the dog following from behind, his legs brushing on the crisp grass.

They picked up their pace as the climbed a large hill. "What are you and you're dog doing out here?" Pete asked, flashing Sam another glance.

"Where are the uh people you're with?" The younger man also questioned. "There's no chance you and you're dog made it this long on your own"

"I don't want them thinkin' we're doin' anything but tryin' to help you"

"My friend and I got attacked" Clementine finally responded.

"Hmm... These folks mention what they were after?" Pete asked.

"They've might have just wanted food. We were cooking some sort of weasel" she told them.

"They attacked you for a weasel? Damn... That is low." The orange shirt wearer commented. "They didn't mention any names... Right? They weren't searching for anybody?" He asked.

Clementine was silent, as she was unable to answer his question.

"Well... I'm Luke and this's Pete" Luke said, introducing themselves.

"Hi there" Pete greeted with a smile.

"Hi. I'm Clementine" she responded. Sam barked eagerly for attention "And this is Sam" she told them.

"It's nice to meet you Clementine. For now we're going to take you back to our group okay? We got a doctor with us and you look like you could use some- OH SHIT!" Luke yelled in surprise, dropping Clementine and causing her to collide with the ground.

"What? What is it?" Pete asked, confused by Luke's outburst.

"She's... She's bit man. FUCK! Fuck fuck fuck... What are we gonna to do here?" Luke asked panicking.

"No, it was Sam! He bit me!" Clementine defended herself from the accusations.

"You're dog bit you... Why?" Pete asked, staring down at her.

"He's not mine... I only met him today. We were looking for food, we were both really hungry. I offered him some but he tried to take all of it so I snatched it back and then he bit me... It's my fault, I shouldn't have done it, I should have been more careful"

"Come on, you expect us to believe that? We saw you with those lurkers back there" Luke butted in as he was pacing.

"No! No, just look at it, please" she pleaded. Sam came to her side and nuzzled her arm gently.

"Yeah and have you sink you're teeth into Pete's neck? No way" Luke responded.

"My neck? Why'm I the one?" Pete asked, turning towards Luke.

"Cause I don't know a dog bite from a mosquito bite to a lurker bite, man" Luke told him.

"It's not" Clementine insisted.

Luke folded his arms and turned away, while Pete stared, lost in thought. Sam whined, nudging Clementine sadly. A silence washed over them for a brief moment until Pete finally broke it.

"Hmmm... Alright lets see it" he said, leaning down.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Heh watch yourself" Luke told him concerned. Clementine flashed him an angry glare.

"Hey, don't look at me like that! You're the one who's bit here okay?"

Pete made a move for Clementine's arm when Sam growled viciously "Easy boy" Clementine told him, easing his worries. Sam was slowly becoming somewhat protective of this new stranger which had come into his life only sometime ago.

Pete rolled Clementine's sleeve up to reveal the covered up bite. "See?" She said intently.

"Is it... Is it like she says?" Luke asked.

"Hmm.. Could be a dog bite. Hard to say" Pete commented, giving Sam a small glance which was returned by a growl, his lips curled back to reveal rows of sharp teeth. "However, with the um evidence given I would guess that it is a dog bite"

"How can you be sure?" Luke asked.

"The dog... Sam seems to have blood on his teeth. Plus I've got a good bullshit detector, Luke. That's how I always beat you at poker" he responded, helping Clementine up.

"Pfft. You don't always beat me at... All right, I guess it could be a dog bite... But what if it's not?"

"Well, I'm sure I ain't willing to leave a little girl in the woods to die when we have a doctor who can make the call. Carlos can take a look at it first."

"What about the dog? He could be dangerous if he attacked her" Luke said looking at Sam.

"He's not, he didn't mean it" Clementine replied, defending Sam.

"Well Nick ain't gonna like this not after what happened to-"

"I'm fully aware of that boy" Pete said, cutting Luke off.

"Right, sorry sir"

Clementine clutched her arm as Pete lifted his hand and patted Luke's shoulder "Come on" Pete ordered.

Luke and Pete walked on ahead as the reached the top of the hill, overlooking the log cabin and the center of a large clearing. Sam walked close by to Clementine, her body swayed as she walked over to them.

Luke and Pete turned round looking concerned "Clementine are you feelin' alright?" Pete asked.

"I'm fine... I'm just...tired" she lied.

"Well you better be. Cause I ain't carrying you anymore with that bite on you're arm" Luke responded.

"Don't worry about-" she began, her vision hazed as swayed to one side and collapsed to the ground.

"Ah shit"

* * *

The sound of muffled voices were ringing in Clementine's ears as she drifted in and out of consciousness. As she slowly opened her eyes she caught sight of a group of people crowded round her, and a ball cap wearing man aiming a rifle at her, his finger on the trigger.

"Don't tell me that! Not after what fuckin' happened!" A voice yelled. The group seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument.

"Would someone mind telling me what the FUCK is going on here?" Another voice cried out.

"Now hold on Rebecca" the familiar voice of Pete began.

"We got this, don't worry" an unfamiliar voice stated.

"Like hell you do. Did anyone even think to ask where she came from? For all we know she could be working for Craver!"

Clementine began to come round, her eyes wide open now she looked round confused by these people's accusations, but something else was bothering her. Where was Sam?

"She already told us that she and her friend got attacked. Then she got bitten by her dog, Sam" Pete replied.

"What? And you believed her? It's obvious that she's just pining the blame on her dog friend to save her own skin. You should've put her out of her misery then and there. Dog bite my ass." Another voice argued.

"I NEED A DO-" Clementine began when suddenly a gun shot rang out, the bullet fired hitting the ground next to her, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"What the?"

The man responsible looked round in panic, the group staring in shock with Clementine doing the same.

"Keep your finger off the trigger boy!" Pete yelled, snatching the rifle from the gun man.

The front door of the cabin was flung open as Luke came racing out into the open air "Whoa! whoa! What the fuck?!" He asked, running down the stairs to join the group.

"You idiot! Every lurker for five miles probably heard that!" The pregnant woman said.

"You're the one tellin' me to fuckin' shoot her!" The gun man argued.

"Everybody just calm down for a second" a glasses and yellow jacket wearing man said, interrupting the heated argument between the woman and the younger man.

"Clementine you ok...?" Luke asked as he finally butted into the conversation.

"I just need a doctor... and then... and then I'll go. I don't want my arm to get infected." She replied, looking round at the strangers, and then looking among the faces. Sam wasn't with them... Where was he?

"None of us want to get infected. That's the point." The gun man said.

"We got a doctor right here, okay? He'll have a look" Luke told her. "What the hell is wrong with you people?! okay, she's just scared."

"We're all scared, Luke. Don't act like we're he ones being irrational cause we don't buy this bullshit story" the pregnant woman replied.

"No way she survived out here this long on her own. Why are we even arguing about this?! The gun man added.

A man exited the cabin and moved along the porch. The group made room for him to pass as he joined them. "Let me take a look" the doctor said.

He lifted his up hand, urging her to let him look. Reluctant, Clementine took a step back, turning her head to Luke for support.

"It's okay. Go ahead. He's a doctor" he told her gentle.

Clementine grimaced as she rolled up her sleeve, the blood from the bite smudged on across her arm. "Damn, that must've hurt" the yellow jacket wearer commented, folding his arms, while the rest of the group watched closely.

Clementine lifted her bitten arm, the man knelt down and examined it closely, lifting his hands and placing in on her injury, rubbing her skin. "Hm. Whatever it was, it got you good" he commented.

"This isn't how we do things, man. When you're bit, you get put down. End of story. I'm not going through this again" the gun man said, approaching Luke.

"No one's suggestin' that" Luke replied, raising his hands slightly in defence.

"We could take her arm off" Pete suggested. Clementine gasped, she wasn't willing to lose her arm for no reason. She wasn't bit, why wouldn't they believe her?

"I know that worked for a cousin down in Ainsworth. We could try that" Pete continued.

"It won't do any good. It will just make it worse for the girl" the pregnant woman responded.

"It's crazy. No one's going to volunteer to do that" the yellow jacket wearer added.

"I would if it means saving her life" Pete said strongly.

"You want to be sure, right? You don't want to do something your gonna regret" Clementine said, appealing to Luke.

"I'm on your side kid. No need for a guilt trip" he replied.

The front door of the cabin creaked open to reveal a teenage girl, wearing cracked glasses. "Who's she?" She asked.

"Sarah? What'd I say? Stay inside" the man examining Clementine's arm told Sarah, who Clementine assumed was his daughter. Disappointed, Sarah closed the front door and moved out of sight.

"Where's Sam?" Clementine asked looking round at the group.

"Who?" the pregnant women asked.

"Sam, the dog" she repeated.

"We put him in the shed" Pete told her.

"Why?" Clementine asked, turning her attention towards the shed which was separated from the cabin.

"He was acting a bit aggressive. We put him in there for his own safety as well as ours" Luke added.

"A dog like that, if he really bit her, should be put down" the pregnant woman said coldly.

"No!" Clementine cried out.

"I'd like to take a look at this dog" the doctor said, standing up.

The group wandered over to the shed, the sound of barking and scratching was eminent. Luke walked towards the large doors and pulled them open, Sam came running out and jumped up at Clementine excitedly, so happy to see one familiar face. He thought he'd lost her, he couldn't bare to lose someone else. He whined, staring longingly up at her. "Hey boy" Clementine greeted him, patting his head gently. It had been so long since he'd been stroked, he was beginning to get used to it again.

The man knelt down, staring at Sam for a moment. "May I?" He asked, reaching for his collar.

She ruffled the fur on his neck, fussing him for a moment, before taking hold of his collar and handing him over to the doctor. The man examined Sam, holding up his lips and studying his teeth.

Sam seemed unhappy about being handled this way but it was short lived as the man let go of him and stood up to face the group.

"So what do you think?" the yellow jacket wearer asked.

"Was it a lurker?" The gun man also questioned.

"By studying the bite and the dog, I am fairly sure that it was a dog bite" he responded.

"But how reliable is 'fairly sure'?" The pregnant women asked.

"I am positive that she was bitten by the dog" he replied.

A sigh of relief washed over the group. "So... What do we do now?" the ball cap wearer asked.

"Bring her inside, I'll treat her arm" the doctor said.

Sam moved closer to Clementine's side, rubbing himself against her leg. She smiled down at him warmly, rushing her hands through his thick brown fur. She lifted her hand and stared at the blood stained on her palm. Sam's leg was still bleeding. She couldn't believe she had forgotten what had happened, she had been so wrapped up in her own problems she hadn't noticed how much pain he must have been in. Just like her.

"Can he come in too? His leg is injured." She spoke up.

The checkered shirt man turned round and looked at Sam, studying his bleeding leg closely. "It seems whatever hurt him tore through his leg muscle" he commented before pausing "Alright, he can come in too, but if he causes any trouble towards anyone then he's out, you understand?"

Clementine stared into Sam's eyes before responding "Yes".

The group walked towards the cabin, Clementine and Sam followed close behind.

* * *

Clementine stood by the kitchen unit in the candle lit room. Carlos, the doctor from outside, had already put peroxide and stitched the dog bite, leaving her in unimaginable pain. Now he was wrapping bandages around her arm.

Sam had settled down on the cold tiled floor, making it his bed, his spot. The pain in his leg had decreased now, he felt somewhat peaceful. There were so many new smells, the slight hint of food was in the air, tormenting him. The scent of the new strangers were also present, he could hear them moving around in each room, he could smell each one of them, identify them. He rested his head sleepily on his paws and stared towards Clementine, and watched the new people cautiously.

Luke was pacing across the room with his arms folded, stirring up tension with the constant tap of his feet as he walked. Nick, the young man in the ball cap, was leaned against the wall and seemingly biting his thumbnail nervously.

"This is may hurt a little" Carlos warned.

"Ow" Clementine said, wincing in pain.

"How she look?..." Luke asked, stopping from his pacing.

"I think she'll be just fine" Carlos replied.

"You um... You sure it wasn't a lurker bite?" Luke questioned with Clementine flashing him a harsh glare.

"I wouldn't be doing this unless I was sure" he responded. Nick pushed himself off the wall and stormed out of the room. Luke's brow furrowed as he watched Nick leave, and quickly followed after. Sam lifted his head and watched the two strangers go, his ears flopped behind his head. He could sense something was wrong.

Clementine examined Carlos' bandage work as he wandered over to the kitchen sink and washed his hands.

"Is your dog going to be a problem?" He asked.

"Um I don't think so"

"Well I don't want him near my daughter after what he did to you."

"He won't do it again, I'll make sure of that" she told him strongly. "Thank you for taking a look at his leg, I'm sure he's thankful too"

"I just hope it wasn't a waste of supplies. What exactly can he do for us?"

"He could hunt... Maybe. Or he could be a good guard dog. I'm sure he can help somehow"

Carlos shook off his wet hands and straightened himself up, folding his arms and turning to face her. "Are you going to be a problem towards my daughter?" He asked, concerned for his child's well being.

"Why would you ask that?" She answered with a question.

"Well are you?"

"I'll try not to be" she replied.

"There are a few things you need to know about my daughter before you can meet her properly."

"Okay..."

"She isn't like you. You may not get that initially, but once you're around her for a while you'll understand. If she knew how bad the world really is... What's it's really like out there... She would... Cease to function. She's my little girl and she's all I got left and I would ask if you would go easy on her."

"I will" she told him.

"Thank you. I appreciate it" he said, moving past her and towards the door, before stopping for a brief moment and stared at Sam, who lifted his head once again and returned his gaze. "Just make sure he stays away from her". Carlos turned his head and stared at Clementine before exiting the room.

Luke appeared in the doorway carrying a bowl of rice "Hey um... I brought some food if your hungry" he told her as he entered the room. Sam lifted his head and sniffed the air as Luke passed him and placed the bowl down on the table. Clementine walked over, pulled out a chair and sat down, tucking into the fresh meal.

"That's going to leave one helluva scar" he commented on her injury.

"Better than losing it" she replied, pausing from eating.

"You can say that again. Scars... They're way cooler than stumps"

Clementine stared at her food for a moment, Luke immediately picked up on her sadden expression.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing. I just had a friend who lost an arm once, that's all" she replied and continue eating when she heard a whine coming from next to her. She looked down to see Sam siting by her, staring up longingly and the food he so graved.

"I think it would be best that you don't feed him after... You know" Luke commented.

"Yeah, your right" she said and then turned to look at Sam "Sorry boy not yet, but I'll give you what's left, I promise" she told him, stroking his head. Sam whined, begging to be fed, rolling around in his own self pity. But Clementine's mind was made up, he'd just have to wait.

Clementine stared sadly, her expression soften by his pleading. She felt a strong sense of guilt rising inside of her. "Do you think there's any dog food around?" She asked Luke.

"Hm... Not sure, but your welcome to look for some"

"I'll see if I can find any for him in the morning"

The kitchen door clicked open as Nick entered the room, meeting Clementine's gaze as he approached. Sam turned to look at him and growled protectively "Easy boy" Clementine told him.

"Hey look. Um, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for... well... for being a dick out there. I got kinda aggro and that was definitely not cool." Nick apologised.

"Nick's been known to go off every once and a while. Don't hold it against him" Luke added.

"I guess we all have our moments"

"You definitely had one out there"

"You were just protecting your friends. I get it" Clementine responded, accepting his apology.

"I didn't mean to be so harsh. I just... We had a bad experience once" Nick told her.

"We've all had bad experiences" she replied.

Nick gently sat down in the chair next to her, his crystal blue eyes pleading with grief and sadness. "Nick lost his mom. We too, care of someone who'd got bit" Luke told her.

"It was my fault. I-" Nick began.

"It was no one's fault. We thought we could control it, but... we couldn't. And then she turned and his mom was standing right there and she got attacked... There was nothing we could do about it"

"Anyway. Hopefully you understand" Nick said rising from the chair, changing the subject back to it's original topic.

"I do. Yeah"

Nick gave her a brief weak smile and exited the room.

Once he was gone Clementine continued eating, spooning the food into her mouth.

"So since you're pretty much on your own, apart from your dog... What's your plan?" Luke asked.

"I'm thinking about moving on" she replied.

"Well you and Sam are welcome to stay here if you want. Y'can let yourself heal up and take some time to sort things out."

"Do you think everyone else will be ok with it?" She asked.

"They'll just have to deal with it" he said with a smile. "So... What happened to your parents...? If you don't mind me asking. I mean, I assume what happened to them is what happened to just about everyone's parents. You're just so young... didn't think you could've made it on your own for so long, but maybe you did."

"Other people took care of me, if that's what you're asking" she responded.

"I was just curious on how you made it this far"

"I just tried to stay with good people and not do anything dumb"

"Hey, I'm sorry, I... I shouldn't have asked."

"My parents went on vacation and left me with a babysitter and they never came back, we went to Savannah to find them... But they were already dead" she told him sadly.

"Wow... Well I'm sorry to hear that."

"This man found me and took care of me. We met up with other survivors and we all tried to make it, but... it didn't work. His name was Lee. He taught me how to survive. He's the reason why I keep my hair short." she said, reminding herself of the old days. Sam whined and rested his head on Clementine's knee, she looked down at him and rushed her fingers through his fur.

"What, uh happened to him...?" Luke questioned.

"The same thing that happens to everyone. But he saved me, first. Lots of times."

"Well he sounds like he was a real good guy" he commented on her story.

"Yeah. He was" Clementine agreed.

Suddenly Pete walked in through the door "I hate to interrupt, but I'm out there standing watch and I can't help but notice that this place is lit up like a goddamn beacon in the middle of the woods" he told them.

"Yeah, it's time to turn in anyways" Luke commented.

"Get your winks while you can 'cause we're goin' fishing at first light. A couple of fresh brookies for diner? Mm, wouldn't that be nice." Pete told them. "Also, Clementine I talked to Carlos and he says you can share a room with Sarah for the night-"

"Well tell him thanks" she interrupted.

"-However, I'm afraid Sam can't"

Clementine looked at Sam and stroked his fur "Then where is he suppose to go?" She asked.

"He's going to have to sleep in the shed tonight, Clem." Pete replied.

"The shed? But isn't it dangerous? There's walkers outside!"

"I'm sorry Clementine, but we can't let him have free rein of the cabin or he could find our food supplies, we can't risk that. We need to be cautious around him, just in case he attacks anyone else." Pete told her.

"He'll be perfectly fine, I'm sure. The door is the only way in or out and it's lock, not many lurkers have gotten into the shed in a while. Someone will be on watch outside so if anything tries to cause harm to Sam then we'll know" Luke added.

"I guess you're right" she said.

"You want me to take him out?" Luke asked.

"No, I'll do it"

"Well if you're sure-" Pete began.

"I am"

"Alright, I'll wait outside for ya, so whenever you're ready" he said, giving her a brief smile and then exiting. Luke stood up and followed Pete out.

Clementine began to finish up her food. "Oh, you're still here" a voice said irritably. Clementine lifted her head and swallowed hard, meeting Rebecca's gaze, Sam growled lowly at the pregnant women.

Rebecca gave the dog a hard stare and moved past the two of them and over to the kitchen sink, turning on the tap and rushing her hands under the cool water, before washing a few of the dishes. "I wouldn't get comfortable if I were you" she told her.

"When is the baby coming?" Clementine asked curiously and changing the subject.

"What do you care? It's non of your fucking business". Sam snarled, showing his teeth, his hackles raised. "You need to control your dog or else he'll get put down" she said harshly.

"You should probably think about being nicer to me and Sam." Clementine responded with a harsh glare which Rebecca returned. "That's just my advice" she said, turning away.

"I knew you were going to be a fucking problem. You got what you came here for. Now go." She said before leaving the room.

* * *

The cool crips evening air sent shivers up Clementine's spine as she and Sam left the cabin. She embraced her own body heat and wandered over to Pete, who was standing by the stairs, staring out towards the darkness of the forest.

"Ah, you're here, come on, follow me" she said, leading them towards the shed. Sam was taking in his surroundings and moving cautiously as Clementine tempted him over to the shed with her left over food. Pete grasped the cold metal handles on the shed door and heaved them open, revealing the inside.

There were marks on a metal board where tools had once been kept. There were some wooden boards and a rake propped up in the far corner of the room, in the opposite corner was a tool box. There was a vice attached to a crafting desk. The shadows that were cast made the place feel ominous, causing Sam to whin nervously.

"Is there anything in here that could hurt him?" She asked Pete worryingly.

"Don't think so, as long as he doesn't mess around or do anything stupid I'm sure he'll be fine." Pete said before pausing "I'll leave you to get him settled" he said, and moving away from the shed and back towards the cabin.

Clementine walked into the shed and placed the bowl of left over food down, Sam immediately ran over and began to eat hungrily. She smiled gently and stroked his back as he ate. "You're as hungry as I was" she commented with a small laugh. "I'm glad things have gotten sorted, I'm glad you're here. I hope I can rely on you from now on and I hope you can rely on me, we'll look out for each other"

Clementine pulled her hand away and sighed deeply, slowly backing away towards the door. She was about to close it when Sam whirled round and ran up to her, jumping up and placing his paws on her stomach, his tongue hanging out and his eyes gleaming.

"I'm sorry boy but you can't come inside. If I could bring you with me I would but I can't, you'll just have to stay here tonight, ok?"

Sam ears drooped and he sat down sadly. "Look I'm sure you won't have to stay in the shed every night, if you can prove that you can behave then the group will let you come inside, but for now you have to stay here. But it won't be long, I promise." She said and then knelt down to his level and meeting his eyes.

She reached out to him and stroked his fur before pulling in close and hugging his neck. Sam accepted her hug, he did not struggle, he did not pull away, he embraced her, rubbing his head against her cheek. There was a bond between them, Clementine could already see it forming, a bridge that connected them, combining them in friendship. The affection Clementine felt for Sam was already blossoming.

Sam felt protective of her. It had been so long since he had been amongst human beings, surviving out in the cold and the rain alone with no one comfort. He had missed this, missed being held, being stroked. He loved his family, he missed them, he wanted them back... He had Clementine now, and he wasn't going to lose her. She was... His friend. The only one he had, the only one he cared for and he wasn't going to let this new world take that from him again.

She gently pulled away and stood up, ruffling up the fur on his head "I'll be there for you Sam, always. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise" she said.

If Sam could talk he would probably say the same thing. "I'll see you in the morning Sam" she told him. Sam backed away from the doors as Clementine closed them, leaving him in darkness.

* * *

Clementine trudged upstairs towards Sarah's room. She stood in the glow of the candle light before knocking on the door "Come in" a muffled voice said from inside.

She grasped the golden knob and twisted it, pushing the door open and moving into the room. Sarah was sitting on the bed, book in hand. "Hi, you must be Clementine" she greeted, giving her a warm smile.

"You must be Sarah" Clementine responded. She glanced at her book "What are you reading?" She asked curiously.

"A book" Sarah replied simply.

"What book? I like books"

"It's called The Guurgles. It's about trans-dimensional body snatchers" she told her.

"Cool"

Sarah looked at Clementine's bandaged arm "How's your cut doing?" She asked.

"It's ok, it doesn't hurt as much and I feel a lot better, thanks for asking."

She paused, glancing at her window "I saw you putting your dog in the shed outside. Why did you do that?" Sarah asked.

"I had no choice, the group wouldn't allow him in the cabin" Clementine replied.

"That's a shame, I haven't seen a dog since all this started. I hope I get to meet him"

"They dad doesn't want you to go near Sam"

"I know. He's just protecting me, I get it"

Clementine looked at the bed Sarah was siting on and then asked "Where am I sleeping?"

"There's only one bed in here but there are a few blankets in that cupboard and an extra pillow if you want to help yourself" Sarah replied, gesturing over to the other side of the room.

"Thanks" Clementine said simply, and walked past the bed towards the cupboard while Sarah continued reading. She opened it, took out said blankets and pillow and then closed it. She laid out the blankets and the set herself downs on the floor.

"Sorry that you have to sleep down there" Sarah apologised "If you want, I'll switch with you" she said.

"No it's ok, it's just like camping" Clementine replied, gesturing at the skylight above her, giving her a view of the black cloak of twilight.

"Or like a sleepover" Sarah commented.

"Yeah, or that"

"We're friends" Sarah said suddenly. "Right? We can be best friends - I haven't met another girl my age since way before. It's hard to be the only girl, you know? Rebecca is okay, but she's old. And that's it. And if the baby's a girl then it'll be FOREVER before she's old enough to, like, be my friend. And then I'll be super old"

"Yes we... We could be friends" Clementine muttered, trying to not hurt Sarah's feelings and ignoring the guilty feeling inside.

"Promise?" she asked. "It's important. Friends have to trust each other no matter what. Do you promise or not?"

"I promise" Clementine replied. It could work, they could be friends, why couldn't they be? She was reluctant because of what had happened to friends in the past... Like Duck.

"Me too. Friends" Sarah said, lifting her pinky finger. Clementine stood up and curled her own pinky finger around Sarah's.

"A pinky swear is forever" Sarah commented. They both lowered there hands and Clementine sat back down on the floor. "Would you like to read my book?" Sarah asked. "I'm not far off the ending, maybe you'd be interested in it, it's really cool"

"Yeah, I'd like to take a look at it. I haven't read a book in a while, it would be a nice change" Clementine said.

Sarah leaned down and handed her the book kindly "I hope you like it as much as I do"

Clementine placed the book on her pillow and opened it to page 1, intrigued by the title and details Sarah had given her. Sarah lie down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, beginning to drift off into sleep.

"I'm glad my dad decided to help you" Sarah said sweetly and turned her head in Clementine's direction and smiled which Clementine returned.

* * *

Dawn was breaking as Pete, Nick and Clementine exited the cabin. The orange golden glow touched the tree tops causing them to catch a blaze in the beaming sunlight.

"How about you go get Sam, me and Nick will wait for you, since Nick needs to do his _business_" Pete said with a small chuckle, Nick glared at him crossly.

"Ok" Clementine replied, and wandered over to the shed. There was silence inside, she listened closely for any sound or trace of Sam. She undid the bolt and threw open the doors. Sam burst out into the open air and jumped up at her, knocking Clementine to the ground. She laughed as Sam began to lick her excitedly, he was so glad to see her familiar face.

"Hey boy" she greeted, ruffling up his fur. Sam got off her, allowing Clementine to stand up "Me, Pete and Nick are going down to the river to catch some fish, would you like to come?" She asked, and Sam answered with a bark. She stroked his head, letting out a small giggle "I'll take that as a yes then".

She patted her knees "Come on boy, lets go, there waiting for us". Sam woofed and came to her side, following her over to Pete, who was standing by a forest trail.

"Where's Nick?" She asked as they joined him.

"Ah like I said, he's gone to do his _business_" he replied.

"Business?" Clementine questioned, confused by his remark.

"... He's gone to piss on a tree"

"Oh ok"

"Come on Clem, lets head down to the river" Pete told her, as he began to trudge along the forest trail. Clementine and Sam followed close behind.

"What about Nick?" She asked.

"Ah he'll be find, the boy knows where the river is, he can catch up to us"

Pete walked on ahead, carrying his rifle and going at a steady pace as the path turned into a slope. Clementine clutched her bandaged arm tightly, while Sam wandered round, straying from the path every so often and sniffing round trees, taking in the new smells.

"How ya' holding up? I heard you got an earful from Rebecca last night. Once she gets going there's no bringing her back. Her barks worse than her bite"

"What's her problem?" She asked.

"Well, she's got a lot on her mind, lately. Bringing a baby into a world like this?" He replied, as the three of them walked over a door which had been place over a large ditch, it was being used as a bridge. Clementine picked up her pace and ran to Pete's side.

"How far are these fish traps?" Clementine asked as Sam also joined them, after exploring their surroundings more.

"It ain't much further" Pete told her.

Clementine gave Pete's rifle a hard stare which Pete picked up on. "Anyone teach you how to shoot?" He questioned. "By that I mean taught proper" he added. "Any idiot with a finger can shoot"

"My friend Lee taught me" she replied.

"That's good. It's important nowadays" he commented, steeping over a wired fence while Clementine and Sam proceeded to do the same.

"Nick was about your age first time I took him huntin'. Came across this beautiful 3 point buck just standin' there on the ridge line" he said, pausing from walking and Clementine stopped to listen, while Sam continued to sniff round at the brush as they talked.

"The boy takes the rifle... lines up the shot just like how I taught him... And then I hear him start whinin'. He turns to me and says 'I can't do it. I can't shoot it Uncle Pete. Please don't make me shoot it'" Pete said in a whining voice, imitating Nick in his younger days.

"Really? No way" Clementine responded.

"Hey!" A voice yelled. They both turned round to see Nick running towards them "Why didn't you wait for me?" He asked out of breath.

"You want us standin' around while you piss on a tree? You know where the river is, boy" Pete replied. "Anyway, I go to grab the gun out his hand before this big buck runs off when BANG! The gun fires. Boy nearly gut shot me. And of course the buck gets away."

"What're you goin' and tellin' her this shit for?" Nick interrupted.

"Cause you almost blew he face off yesterday. Seems relevant. Tryin' to let her know it's nothin' personal with you" Pete replied.

"Why are you always giving me a hard time?" Nick asked crossly.

""Because you're always givin' everyone else a hard time."

"I apologised already. She accepted."

"Ok, well I didn't know that."

"It's ok. He apologised." Clementine added.

"You're always trying to embarrass me" Nick said.

"You're doing a good enough job of that on your own" Pete argued.

Enraged, Nick pushed past Pete, knocking his shoulder purposely.

"Leavin' us again?"

"I know where the fucking river is!" Nick replied as he stormed off.

Pete watched him to before turning to Clementine "So anyway... I found that buck later that season. Shot it right in the neck. Brought it up to my sister's figurin' she'd want to freeze some of the meat... Nick didn't speak to me for weeks." He said, finishing off on his story of the old pre-apocalyptic days. "Sometimes you gotta play a role... Even if the people you love hate ya for it" Pete stated.

"He doesn't hate you" Clementine told him kindly.

"Nick's father wasn't there much, and he was a piece of shit when he was, so it fell to me to keep him in line. Raise him right. Meant I couldn't be just nice Uncle Pete." He said sadly.

"UNCLE PETE!" Nick yelled suddenly, Pete and Clementine were immediately on high alter and sprinted down towards the river, Sam following close behind.

"Nick...?" Pete yelled in response as he caught sight of the awful scene. Bodies were scattered along the river bank, each one was full of bullet holes.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph" Pete breathed in disbelief. Clementine scanned the area, while Sam sniffed one of the bodies.

Pete walked up to the body Sam was sniffing and tapped it with his rifle, trying to get a reaction. It wasn't getting up. "Fulla holes" he commented.

"Who do you think did this?" Clementine asked.

"Not sure yet. But it ain't your average gang'a thugs, that much I know" Pete replied.

"...Think about it. You're Carver, what do you do?" Nick questioned.

"Who's Carver?" Clementine asked.

Pete and Nick exchanged glances before Pete spoke up "Check those guys there" he told Nick, ignoring her question. "Be careful. Some of em' might still movin'" he told Nick cautiously.

Pete walked over, and knelt down by one of the bodies, studying it closely, while Nick went to the edge of the trees and examined another. Sam walked over to the edge of the river and stared longingly towards the small island across from them.

Clementine knelt by one of the bodies, which was wearing some sort of rock jacket "This ones shot too" she told Pete.

"Through the head?"

She quickly checked to see dry blood on the bodies face, once oozing from a large hole "Yeah..."

"Check the rest. And look for ammo while you're at it, we're runnin' low"

Clementine stood up and slowly joined Sam by the river bank and looked over at the bodies scattered on the sandbar. "There're are more out there!" She stated.

"This wasn't no rinky-dink pissin' match" Pete said.

"What was it then?" Nick asked.

"FUBAR" Pete replied simply as he stood up and moved towards the river.

"Where are you going?! We need to get the fuck outta here!" Nick demanded.

"Gotta check the rest" he told him.

"What?! Why?!" Nick yelled.

"Calm down and think about it son" Pete said as he began to wade out towards the sandbar.

"Calm down?! We gotta get out of here, now."

"Jesus Christ, kid, get ahold of yourself" Pete said, now standing on the sandbar.

"Shouldn't we go get the others?" Clementine asked.

"Wish we could, but one of these folks might still be alive, and just might be inclined to tell us who did this. We gotta do this now." Pete told them. "Stay here, keep searchin' these" Pete told Nick as Clementine jumped on a rock in the middle of the river and then leaped to the sandbar.

"This is a dumb idea" Nick said, backing away.

"You know Nick, I don't like this either, but sooner or later you're gonna to have to realise the simple truth"

"What? That you're an asshole?" He asked coldly, aiming his rifle at the surrounding area.

"That nobody in this world is going to give a goddamn if you like somethin' or not. You gotta grow up, son"

"Whatever" Nick responded, and wandered off.

Clementine looked over to Sam who was still on the other side of the bank and glancing round nervously, yearning to get to the sandbar but trembling in fear at the sight of the rushing water.

"Afraid of water huh Sam?" She asked, Sam whined in response.

"It's ok boy, it's not too deep don't worry, you'll be find I promise."

Sam looked at the river and then at Clementine and whimpered. "You can do it" she said gently.

Sam paused for a moment before bonding through the river, sending sprays of water into the air and soaking his own fur. He jumped up at Clementine and placed his paws on her hands and panted. Clementine held his paws tightly and smiled down at him. "You did it boy" she exclaimed, praising him. "Good job Sam" she said proudly.

"I hate to interrupt the touching moment Clem but we have a job to do" Pete told her.

Clementine let go of Sam's paws and walked up to Pete. "You wanna be useful, keep a look out on that tree line. Whoever did this might still be out there. Waitin' for another sucker to stumble across this mess. Just like baitin' a fish. S'what I'd do."

"I'm on it" Clementine responded.

"You always so agreeable?" He asked.

"...Not always, no"

"Good. You'll fit right in with this outfit." He remarked. "Look just keep your head on straight" he said, catching sight of a struggling walker and moving towards it. "Hm. Same deal. All shot to pieces. Hope this isn't anyone you know"

"No..."

"Good" he said, ripping a spear from the walkers shoulder and stabbing it in the head, ending its suffering.

Pete glanced over at the bank on the over side of the sandbar 'Dammit. More on that side. You check out these ones. See if there's anything on em' that'll tell us who they were" he ordered.

Sam growled and bounded over towards one of the bodies at the far end of the sandbar, barking angrily. "Boy ssh!" Clementine said, trying to hush him.

"Clementine!" Pete yelled from the other side of the river "You have to keep him quiet, don't want to attract anyone attention" he told her.

"Ok, I'll see what's wrong" she said and quickly jogged over to Sam, taking out her pen knife as she made her way over, she might need it, just incase. As she drew closer she caught sight on an object hidden amongst several rocks. It was her backpack.

Suddenly the body Sam was barking at moved, at first she thought it was a walker but then she realised it was a person. They were still alive.

"That's my backpack..." She murmured. Sam continued to bark "Hush now boy, it's ok" she said gently, calming him down. She studied the mans face for a moment when a sudden realisation struck and her eyes widen in shock "You were in the woods with Christa." She stated. "The women I was with. What happened to her? Please. Tell me. TELL ME!" She pleaded and demanded.

"Please..." The man begged, his voice hoarse as he reached out to the bottle of water poking out of Clementine's backpack. Clementine stared at the bottle of water for a moment, lost in thought before taking it out of her backpack and taking hold of the mans head for support and pressing the bottle against his lips so he could have a drink.

"Thank you... Thank you... Thank you" he said gratefully, rolling onto his back.

Clementine put her backpack over her shoulder and stared down at him.

"ARRGGGHH" Pete yelled in surprise. Clementine and Sam whirled round to see him backing away from a walker before shooting it in the head with his rifle.

"Pete!" Nick yelled.

"I'm fine. I'm fine!" Pete said, resting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "Just... Just lost my footin'! Dammit... Goddammit..." He breathed.

Clementine's attention was immediately drawn to the torn piece of his trouser leg and what looked like a bite. Pete was bitten.

"Shit! Lurkers!" Nick yelled, firing his rifle at an approaching walker.

"I'm outta ammo!"

"Come this way!"

"Son of a bitch... Dammit, get your asses over here, both of you!"

"I'll cover you!"

"We gotta get outta here!"

"GET OVER HERE GODDAMMIT!"

In a split second she made her choice. _Pete may be bitten but he has stood by me in this short time I've known him. He's been there for me, he trusts me. I can't abandon him now. _

Clementine turned and ran to Pete's side of the river, Sam followed close behind. "Come on! Come on!" He said, waving her over. Suddenly a walker jumped him from behind, pinning him against a rock "Jesus!" He yelled in surprise. "Fuck!"

Sam lunged towards the walker, sinking his teeth into its arm and trying to pull it off. Clementine gripped her pen knife tightly, swinging her arm and stabbing the walker in eye, the blade cutting into the brain. Clementine tore the knife out, bringing the eyeball with it, dangling on shreds of flesh. Pete kicked the lifeless body off and stood up.

"Arghh!" Nick yelled as he hit a walker over the head with the end of his rifle.

"Nick! Hold on!" Pete cried as he limp ran to the edge of the river. "NICK!" He yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth as he shouted. Nick stared frantically before turning and running into the cover of the trees. "Goddammit! Nick!"

"Sam!" Clementine cried, seeing that her friend was surrounded by walkers, barking in panic. "Come here boy! Come here!" She ordered. Sam made a move to do so when a walker launched itself in front of him, blocking his path. He was trapped, the walkers closing in on him.

"SAM!" She cried, panicking. Sam whimpered in fear, the walkers around him causing him to disappear out of sight. "Sam! No!" She shouted, making a move to run back when Pete grabbed her shoulder.

"There's nothing we can do" he said softly. "We have to go"

"But Sam-" she said, tears forming in her eyes "We can't leave him!" She wailed.

"I'm sorry, but we have to go, Clem. NOW!"

Clementine closed her eyes, a sob in her throat, she bit her inside lip and fought back tears, nodding slowly. "Lets go!" Pete ordered. The two quickly sprinted along the river, running from the approaching walkers.

Sam's barks could still be heard...

**END OF CHAPTER 1**


	2. Episode 2 Preview

**There's a trailer coming this week, I'm predicting the 25th and the episode is set to release in early March so probably the 4th, but hey, thats just me guessing. Who knows when it comes down to Telltale. Anyway, here is a preview for Episode 2/Chapter 2 A House Divided also known as Can't Change Fate for this fan fic. This is based around the Next Time Trailer so enjoy.**

* * *

**NEXT** **TIME** **ON** **THE** **WALKING** **DEAD: MANS BEST FRIEND**

"You need a weapon, Clem. Just in case... I turn" Pete warned, pain in his voice.

"I have a pen knife" Clementine replied, showing him the blade.

"That's not enough... You need to find something else" he said, staring up at the rotten wooden shelf.

"Maybe that hammer..."

* * *

"Sam and Nick... I could have saved them... I could have done something... I let them die" Clementine lowered her head as she sat on the ground, a sob in her throat.

"Hey... Don't say things like that.. Maybe- maybe they made it out, maybe they'll find their way back." He paused, collecting his thoughts "We have to have hope, Clementine"

* * *

"Pete... What do you want to do?" Clementine asked, rising from where she sat, staring at the man lying on the floor, clutching his leg.

He stared across the room at the saw carelessly left on a wooden crate. "Cut it off"

* * *

"Me and Alvin are going down to the river to look for Nick. We _have_ to find him" Luke stated.

"You want me to come?" Clementine asked.

"You've done enough. Stay here with the others, okay? We'll be back before you know it"

* * *

Sarah and Clementine were knelt down in the living room, drawing by the dying light of the stove.

"What are you making?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Sam..." She replied weakly, her voice trailing off as she held up her piece of paper.

* * *

"Someone's out there!" Sarah said worryingly, staring out of the window.

* * *

"Go check who it is!" Rebecca ordered.

"But they good be dangerous!" Clementine retorted.

"Exactly why I'm sending you out there and not one of our own!"

"But I-" she began.

"You're not one of us, you never were and you never will be!" Rebecca yelled harshly.

* * *

Clementine gripped the cold metal door knob, hesitating as she tried to make out the figure on the other side before opening the door.

* * *

"Listen kid, I ain't got time for this shit, if no ones here could you at least pass on a message for me"

"A message or a warning?" Clementine asked coldly.

* * *

"Someone came looking for you Rebecca... A man"

"What?! Did he say what his name was?" Rebecca asked, fear in her eyes.

"We know damn well who it was!" Alvin said angrily.

"Who is he?"

"One of the guys we were with before" Carlos stated whilst grimacing at old memories.

* * *

Clementine pushed past Luke and moved to the front of the group, her eyes meeting with an all too familiar face. "I thought you were dead"

**CHAPTER 2: CAN'T CHANGE FATE**

* * *

**And that is it for now, Internet. For now we wait for episode 2... 11 days... Hopefully. I hope you enjoy Chapter 2 whenever it may be... It might take awhile after the release, deciding on change's, deciding on choices to use and dialogue. But whenever it is, I'm sure you'll love it as much as I love writing it ;) This was really just to let you know that this fic is still 'to be continued' and I haven't given up on it yet... I'm just waiting, that's all. I've got plans, some good, some bad. I've been basing ideas off previews in the Next Time Trailer and theories so I'm quite prepared.**

**I bet your wondering what happened to Sam well... You'll have to find out ;) see ya after the release! **


	3. Can't Change Fate (Part 1)

**THE WALKING DEAD: MANS BEST FRIEND ****CHAPTER 2 CAN'T CHANGE FATE (Part 1)**

Death..._ Darkness... No way out... A rushing river... A dark wood... No way out... No... There's got to be a way... Running... Legs aching... Muscles throbbing... Heart bounding... Eyes stinging... Nostrils flaring... Undead hands grabbing... Can't let them drag me down... Keep running... Don't stop... Avoid them... Dodge them... Keep going... For her.  
_

* * *

In the center of a clearing stood an old rusted red van, the back doors slammed shut as walkers clawed at the rusted metal hungrily, yearning to feast upon the living hiding within.

Clementine was crouched inside the van, staring fearfully at the rattling doors as Pete locked them. "Well, they shouldn't be able to get through that" he told her, turning his head towards the little girl with a pained expression on his face. "On the downside we can't get through them" he said, turning back to the door.

Pete slumped down by the door and clutched his bitten leg. Clementine knelt down by his side, staring at the flesh wound on his ankle and torn piece of his trouser leg.

"What are you looking at?" He asked gruffly. "Starin ain't polite"

"Wh-what are you going to do?" Clementine asked worryingly.

Pete's gaze slowly met with the hack saw on the shelf across from him. "Hand me that there"

"Are you sure?" She questioned his judgement.

"Remember when I mentioned my cousin?" Pete asked. "You know... When I first met ya... Back at the cabin... When Nick was waving a gun in your face" he said, jogging Clementine's memory.

Clementine glanced at the hack saw and grimaced "Yeah..." She murmured, her voice trailed off.

"It worked for him, it can work for me. I got nothin to lose. Other than my piggly wiggles, of course"

"I had a friend who cut off his arm when he got bitten" Clementine murmured sadly as she picked up the saw and handed it to him.

"What er, happened to him?" Pete asked, the look on his face showed that he already was regretting his question.

"He didn't get to it fast enough, he-" she began.

"You don't have to say anymore" he told her kindly. Pete pressed the saw against his leg "You may want to stand back... Things could get messy" he warned.

Pete grasped the saw with his sweaty hands, willing himself to do it. _You can do it, you can do it. You can do this! _He yelled inside his head. _Do it... Do it for Nick. _

Clementine backed away, closing her eyes as Pete readied himself to hack through his own leg. But the screaming never came. Clementine opened her eyelids and watched as Pete pulled the hack saw away from his leg and threw it forcefully at the ground, almost if he was purposely trying to break it.

"It ain't gonna work!" He yelled, throwing his hands in the air and then stressfully scratching his bald head "I'd bleed out like a stuck pig. What are you gonna do, carry me out on your back?"

Pete stared distantly, considering all his options. _I either die from blood loss or die from the bite... What the fuck am I gonna do? _He questioned himself. "Hell. Just... Just give me a minute"

"Try to get some rest" she told him with a concerned tone. "There's a lot of stuff in here." She commented, gesturing around the room "I'll try and find something to help" she told Pete as he slumped back against the wall, shutting his eyes tightly.

The eleven year old glanced around the truck before walking over to her back pack and kneeling down to take a look inside, unzipping the top. She rooted around for a moment, catching sight of Lee's photo and Kenny's drawing _I'm so glad I put these back in my backpack before I went to find Christa... They would have been ruined after I fell in the river. _She thought to herself.

Pete coughed and spluttered as Clementine took out her water bottle and shook it. "Anything in that?" He asked.

"Sorry, it's empty" she apologised after feeling the weight of the bottle.

"Damn" Pete breathed.

Clementine stared sadly at the bitten man before returning the bottle to her back pack and zipping it back up and placing it down. She rose to her feet and continued to search the van, checking a cardboard box marked with the logo "Red and Gold. Original Flavour". She knelt down once again and opened it up, meeting eyes with several packets of cigarettes marked with the same logo.

"What's in there? Anything we can use?" Pete asked from a far.

Clementine picked up one of the cigarette packets and showed it to him "Gimme one of those" he somewhat demanded, only with a gentle and calm tone. Clementine wandered up to Pete as he continued to talk "They probably taste like pine tar by now. But I'd smoke a dead coon's tail if I had one"

Clementine simply handed him the box which he took gratefully "Got a light?" He asked.

She just shrugged and rolled her eyes before reaching for her back pocket and taking out her butterfly lighter as Pete put a cigarette in his mouth and held it there with gritted teeth. Clementine flicked the switch with her thumb, a orange flame came from the small lighter as she leaned forward and lit Pete's cigarette for him.

Pete held the cigarette between his fingers and inhaled before exhaling quickly, smoke pouring from his nose and mouth as he coughed violently "Well, that tastes as bad as it smells" he commented, the smoke from the cigarette rising and surrounding his head in a grey, cloudy, halo.

"Now what?" She asked curiously.

Pete took another drag of the cigarette, the smoke choking his lungs "We wait" he replied with a small cough and exhaling more smoke.

Clementine sat down beside him, rapping her arms around her legs and closing her eyes, embracing the long and endless wait. "Will they find us?"

"They damn well better"

* * *

_Dampness... Cold... Muddy... Wet... Tired... Hungry... Alone... I'm all alone... I can't be... Not again... Not like before... I can't go back to living like that... I can't... She abandoned me... She left me at the river to- to die... I thought she cared, I thought-_

... I need to get back to that place... With all those people... Where we stayed... I got to get back... I have to... For her.

* * *

The light of day had been extinguished, a black void of never ending darkness surrounded the outside world. Clementine yawned tiredly and slowly opened her eyes, blinking hard as they adjusted to the shadows around her. The first thing she noticed was Pete lying rigidly in front of her when he suddenly coughed violently, shocking Clementine right to her core, causing her to act quickly and back away.

_Did Pete turned when I was asleep? Am I trapped in here with a walker?! _She wondered, panic beginning to set in. Clementine quickly stood up and picked up the hack saw which was lying on the ground beside her. _Maybe- maybe I could use it as a weapon... Just in case. _

Clutching the hack saw tightly she cautiously walked up to Pete and stared down at him "Pete...?" She asked nervously.

Pete coughed violently and rolled over. Clementine breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he was indeed alive and not one of the living dead. "Dammit. I feel like ten pounds of shit in a five pound shack" he murmured, his voice hoarse. He sat there for a brief moment before spitting "Jesus. Stuck in this can the whole damn day"

Clementine knelt down beside him, placing the hack saw down and staring silently "You want to hear somethin funny?" He asked only to not receive an answer, just a long hard stare "I've been thinkin and I don't wanna die" he told her before coughing several times, almost as if he was choking, maybe even dying right in front of her.

"I'd never though I'd be the type of idiot to say somethin like that. But there it is" he said sadly. "I'm scared Clementine. Jesus, I'm scared"

"You're going to be ok" she told him with false hope.

"At least spare me the bedside bullshit."

"Sorry..." She murmured, her voice trailing off.

"Would you... Would you promise you'll watch out for Nick?" He asked, concerned for his nephew "I love that stupid kid. No matter what you think, he is a good boy"

"I'll do what I can" she replied kindly.

"Thank you" Pete said gratefully, lowering his head. "Hey, I'm-" he began. "I'm sorry about Sam..." He apologised. "Maybe... Maybe we could have saved him... I don't know... You two were pretty close"

"Its ok" Clementine replied sadly.

"You sure?" He asked.

Clementine paused before answering "You don't need to be sorry. I was the one who left Sam behind... I could have saved him but instead I abandoned him... It's my fault he's gone"

"You did all you could, Clem" he said before pausing and staring out the front windows and at the darkness of night "Been almost a day. They ain't gonna find us" Pete said disheartened before gradually getting to his feet.

"Where are you going?" Clementine asked concerned as he pushed open the back doors of the van and staring out at the shambling corpses around them.

"I'm not getting outta this. You're gonna have to make a break for it" he told her, his voice weak. "I'll buy you some time"

"You're coming with me" Clementine replied strongly.

"To do what? Die a couple of hours later than now?" He asked.

"To say goodbye to Nick"

"All right. I'll try" Pete replied with a deep sigh.

Clementine smiled gently before picking up her back pack and swinging it over her shoulder. "Well, like my daddy used to say, we're burnin' daylight" Pete stated, rising to his feet. "Alright, lets get this over with"

Pete pushed the back doors open and the two jumped out of the truck and heavily landed on the ground. The two stood calmly for only a few seconds when a walker staggered round one of the open doors, causing Pete and Clementine to break into a run. Pete limp-ran for a few strides before collapsing, colliding with the dry, hard, forest floor. He gradually got to his feet while muttering "This ain't gonna work. Go on now. Go find my nephew" he ordered.

"You have to try!" Clementine cried, grabbing Pete's arm only to get pushed away.

"I said go, goddammit! Go!" He yelled but there was also pain in his voice.

With no other choice Clementine turned and ran, breaking through the trees. "Run!" She heard Pete yell. She continued to run, sprinting past several walkers and off into the deepest parts of the forest, leaving Pete and the truck far behind.

* * *

_I made it. I made it back... I'm exhausted and weak but I made it. I did it... Clem... I made it. Safety is finally in reach... Where is she? Where is Clementine...?  
_

* * *

The light of a new dawn shone through the branches of the trees, bathing the crisp autumn leaves in a golden glow. Clementine broke though the bushes, panting heavily as she paused outside the cabin, catching her breath she leaned over, arching her back and placing her hands on her knees.

Straightening up, Clementine walked up to the back door of the cabin and grasped the knob, twisting it and throwing open the door and wandering inside. The first thing she noticed as she entered the kitchen was Carlos and Rebecca sitting at the table.

Carlos turned his head towards Clementine and immediately stood up when he saw her "Clementine! Are you all right?" He asked concerned. "Luke's not with you?!"

"Where's Alvin?!" Rebecca cried, rising from where she sat.

Clementine just stood there silently, a worried look on he face "What happened?" Carlos asked, walking up to her. "It's been hours. Where are they?!"

"Clem!" Rebecca demanded, also approaching her.

"Pete got bit" Clementine replied. "Did Nick make it back?" She asked.

"No, Alvin and Luke went looking for you. But someone else did" Carlos said and lead her over to the living room.

"Carlos! We don't have time for this! Carlos?!" Rebecca yelled, panic and worry in her eyes.

Clementine and Carlos stood by the doorway, Clementine's gaze slowly followed Carlos', meeting eyes with the small figure curled up on the sofa, wrapped up in a checkered blanket...

"Sam!" Clementine cried, rushing over to the sofa and throwing her arms around the dog. Sam whimpered softly and rubbed his head against her cheek, embracing her warmth.

"He managed to make his way back here all by himself. He was probably looking for you. He came up to the front door and scratched on it. At first, we thought it was a lurker but when we went to check we found Sam instead. We got very worried when you weren't with him" Carlos said.

"I left him... Walkers attacked us and I was forced to abandon him" she said softly, rubbing her face into Sam's fur.

"He was lucky to get out of there without a scratch on him" Carlos commented. "The only thing that harmed him was vegetation. He was exhausted and collapsed when he reached the cabin so we put him in here to rest"

"Animals don't turn, do they?" Clementine asked.

"No, they die from the bite but they don't come back" Carlos told her.

Rebecca joined them in the living room and approached Clementine "Where were you, Clem?! Where were you exactly?!" She demanded answers.

"Go easier on her Rebecca" Carlos told her gently.

Clementine crouched by the sofa and continued to hug Sam "Down by the stream" she responded.

"We gotta go" Rebecca came to a sudden conclusion.

"Just hold on a minute" Carlos replied sternly.

"My husband is still out there. GET. THE. GUNS" Rebecca demanded.

Without another word Carlos quickly moved past her and into a storage room. Rebecca turned her head towards Clementine as the little girl crouched by Sam, stoking his fur soothingly.

"Luke and Alvin went looking for you. I told them not to go" she told her sadly, anger and worry in her voice. "Dammit, Luke" she cursed crossly.

Carlos came running back into the room carrying a gun and rifle. He handed Rebecca the rifle and he held onto the gun. Rebecca and Carlos made their way into the kitchen and out the back door. Carlos paused before turning towards Clementine who had followed them into the kitchen.

"Clementine, could you... Could you please watch Sarah?" He asked. "She's upstairs. Just distract her. And don't tell her anything!"

"I'll take care of her. You can trust me" she said kindly.

"Thank you" he responded gratefully. "You'll be safe inside. Just don't open the doors for anything. We'll be back soon. And.. Thank you" Carlos said before turning and leaving, closing the back door behind him.

Clementine stood alone in the kitchen for a brief moment before wandering back into the living room. As she made her way towards the stairs she noticed Sam still lying there on the sofa. "You want to come up and see Sarah with me, boy?" She asked.

Sam stayed completely still, not moving a muscle. Clementine stared sadly. _He seems so different... Maybe he's mad or upset about being left behind at the river... I wouldn't blame him. _

"I'm sorry, boy. I didn't mean it, honest" she told him, walking up to the sofa and staring down at him. "If I could go back to what happened I would change it, I would have gone back for you. But I can't change the past, but I can make things right" Clementine reached out and stroked his soft brown fur, rushing her fingers through several knots and studying the dried mud which caked his legs. "I hope you can forgive me" she whispered softly before moving her hand away and approaching the stairs, pausing to look back at him before making the climb.

Once she reached the second floor she walked up to Sarah's room, grabbing hold of the knob and twisting it. She pulled the door open and caught Sarah in the middle of sitting on the floor and colouring. "Hi Clem!" Sarah exclaimed joyfully.

"Hi" Clementine responded simple before sitting down on the floor next to Sarah. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Drawing, my dad gave me some paper and crayons."

"What are you drawing?" Clementine asked curiously.

"You and me!" Sarah cried happily, lifting up the piece of paper. Clementine took it off her and studied the drawing, noticing herself and Sarah hugging in the picture with 'Best Friends' written above it. "Do you like it?" Sarah asked.

"It's lovely" Clementine replied simply, a small smile stretching across her face.

"Thanks" Sarah said gratefully, proud of her artwork. "Would you like to draw with me?" She asked.

Clementine paused, thinking back to the motor inn where she would pass the time by drawing pictures of the survivors around her. She loved drawing, it distracted her from what was really going on... It would probably distract Sarah too, which is just what Carlos wanted.

"Sure" Clementine replied with a small shrug. Sarah smiled and handed her a piece of paper which Clementine gratefully took, picking up a brown and a black crayon and began to sketch.

"What are you drawing?" Sarah asked.

"Sam..." Clementine murmured sadly, her voice trailing off as she lifted the unfinished drawing.

"It's really nice" Sarah said softly. "Hey, I'm- I'm glad he made it back ok"

Clementine smiled gently "Me too"

"What's wrong? Um, where's my dad?" Sarah asked worryingly.

"He'll be fine" Clementine replied warmly.

"Are you sure?"

Clementine's smile faded as she lowered her head sadly as she was unable to answer Sarah's question. Sarah sniffled softly and lowered he head, staring at her own drawing while pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "Sorry I- I just need to..." Her voice trailed off as she continued to sob.

The two were silent of a brief moment when Sarah lifted her head and asked "Want to see what I found?" She asked before standing up and walking over to her bed, reaching underneath and pulling out a gun, holding it limply in her hand, finger over the trigger. "Will you show me how to use it?" She asked. "I couldn't find any bullets" she murmured, she almost sounded disappointed. "If something's wrong, I should know. What if I have to use one? Nobody tells me anything."

"Okay... But it's not a toy" Clementine replied reluctantly.

"I know" Sarah replied before turning towards the window, gun in hand.

"First, remember it's just a thing" Clementine told her.

"What does that mean?" Sarah asked while aiming, locking her elbows.

"Um... I don't know"

"I thought it'd be heavier" Sarah commented, staring down the top. "Okay, what do I do?"

"The most important thing is don't pull the trigger. Squeeze it" Clementine instructed, straightening Sarah's arms for her.

"Why?" She asked.

"I... I don't know. You just do"

"Okay" Sarah said simply, swinging the gun round and aiming at the wall "What should I shoot?" She asked, turning round and aiming at Clementine.

"Don't do that!" Clementine yelled, quickly ducking.

"S- sorry! Sorry..." Sarah apologised while stuttering.

"Maybe I could practice outside" she murmured, walking up to the window and staring out into the forest "There's that tree" she commented. "Hey, Luke's back!" She cried, turning away from the window and making her way to the door. Clementine approached the window and stared out only catching a small glimpse of supposedly Luke's shadow.

Sam started barking from downstairs, his growling sounded aggressive. "Wait!" Clementine cried, grabbing Sarah's arm before she could make her way downstairs.

"What's wrong, Clem?" Sarah asked confused.

"Sam's alarming. He doesn't act like that around someone unless they're dangerous. Something's wrong, I don't like this" Clementine said worryingly.

"What should we do?" Sarah asked.

"You stay up here and take this" she said, taking out her pen knife and pressing it into Sarah's hand "If anything happens, use this to protect yourself. Just in case"

Sarah looked at the pen knife nervously before nodding fearfully "Okay... Be careful"

"I will" Clementine replied before trudging downstairs, the sound of Sam's barking continued.

Clementine was half way down stairs when she heard the front door click open and a gravelly voice call out "Hello?" Which was followed by Sam barking angrily. Clementine paused on the stairs and listened closely, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Hello little doggie, your owners home?" The stranger asked Sam as if he was expecting him to answer.

"Well hello there" the stranger greeted, catching sight of Clementine on the stairs. _Shit! _Clementine cursed inside her head. "It's okay, you can come down, I won't bite." He told her. "Can't say the same for your little doggie friend, he seems to want to take a chunk out of my leg" he commented as Clementine joined him on the ground floor.

"Who are you?" She asked cautiously.

"Well, actually, I'm your neighbour" he told her.

"Neighbour?" Clementine asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

"That's right" he replied with a small gesture of hand movement. "My family and I are set up ways down-river. I'm kinda surprised that we haven't ran into each other yet" he told her, gesturing at the window and the outside world, his pistol in clear view. "What's your name?" He asked.

"What's YOUR name?" Clementine asked, redirecting his question.

"My name is George, honey" he replied, lifting his hand in an attempt to be friendly.

Clementine gave him a sceptic look before reluctantly shaking his hand. "Pleasure to meet you" the supposed 'George' said. "Sorry for barging in unattended but I thought nobody was home"

"Were you trying to rob us?" She asked crossly.

"Oh no, I was just scouting" he replied, giving the living room a quick glance "This is a nice place. Is there anyone else around?" He asked intently. "You don't normally see cabins this big out here" he commented. "Could sure pack a lot of folks in there"

"I'm alone, it's just me and my dog" she lied.

"Is that so?" He asked, leaning down and stroking Sam's head, giving his collar a quick glance. Sam growled at 'George' aggressively.

"Your dog isn't very warming to strangers" he commented. "Must take after his owner. No offence"

"None taken" Clementine replied simply.

"Well, I'll cut to the chase; I'm out looking for my people, seven of them to be exact. They've been gone a long while... I'm worried they might have gotten lost. Maybe you've seen 'em." He told her. "Couple of farmboys and an old man. Spanish guy and his daughter. Quiet girl, bit taller than you. Big black guy, about this big- *gestures Alvin's size* -and a pretty little pregnant lady"

"That's a lot of people to lose" Clementine commented.

"Tell me about it. This whole thing's a pain in the ass" he responded gruffly, a grimace on his face. 'George' glanced around the room for a moment before turning towards the kitchen door and pulling it open, giving the inside a quick look before entering, the door swung shut behind him. Clementine quickly followed him inside.

'George' stared at the table before walking over to the kitchen unit, glancing at the sink and the dishes piled up inside. "Lotta dishes for just one person" he commented, leaning against the side. "Looks like a tornado ran through here"

"Yeah. Well. I hardly ever do the dishes" she said, making an excuse as she leaned against the kitchen unit across from 'George'. Sam came into the kitchen by pushing the door open with his nose. The dog came to Clementine's side and growled at 'George', his hackles raised. Clementine glanced over at the kitchen knife across from her, thoughts rushing through her head._Sarah has my pen knife... If things turn ugly I can use that... I don't trust this man._

"Just passin' through or you been here long?" He questioned. "Hey, listen kid. I hope you're not one of those nuts heading up north lookin' for Shangri-La. Now, I'm not sure why you'd go anywhere after findin' this place"

Clementine panicked and reached for the knife when 'George' grabbed it before her. At first she thought he was going to stab her in the chest but instead he just lifted the knife and asked "Where does this go?"

"I'll take it.." She said, reaching for the knife only to receive a chilling glare as 'George' walked over to one of the kitchen drawers, pulling it open and dumping the knife inside and pushing the drawer closed. 'George' strided out of the kitchen and back into the living room, Clementine and Sam quickly followed.

"Well this is a nice place. Kinda cozy" he commented before walking over to the living room and staring down at an oddly placed stripped shirt. "I knew a guy who always wore shirts like this. Doctor." 'George' muttered. "Real smug son of a bitch. But a smart man"

"What happened to him?" She asked.

"Lets just say we had our differences"

Clementine glanced upstairs to see Sarah crouching by the banisters, staring down at them. Clementine quickly gestured for her to go hide as 'George' continued to talk about a chess board. "Well, well... White's in trouble. Three moves away from checkmate" he paused, listening to the sound of floorboards upstairs creaking as Sarah quickly went into her room and shut the down behind her. "What was that?" He asked, turning towards Clementine who just shrugged in response.

'George' approached the stairs while Sam growled protectively. Clementine grabbed Sam by the collar "Easy boy" she said gently. Sam whimpered at the order but reluctantly sat.

"He listens to you" 'George' commented as he stared up at the second floor.

Clementine just shrugged "I guess, but sometimes he doesn't listen to me. That was a one off though"

"I know what that is like. I thought I could trust my people with orders but they disobeyed me" he said with a small huff. He paused again, listening to the sound of movement "I thought you said nobody was here"

"It's... It's probably just the wind" she replied weakly, running out of excuses.

'George' drew his gun and marched up stairs, wide eyed, Clementine and Sam quickly followed. 'George' glanced around at the upstair rooms before going for the closed door, opening it up and entering, aiming his gun around at the empty room almost as if he was expecting to find someone. Sam sniffed round, drawing near to the bed when Clementine grabbed his collar and pulled him away, as she had already noticed Sarah lying hidden under the bed.

Clementine folded her arms and glanced over at 'George' as he held his pistol in the air. "I told you, nobody's here" she said intently.

"Seems that way" he agreed, lowering his pistol and putting it away. "Didn't mean to be rude" he apologised, staring out of the window. "Couldn't just leave you here with the conscience that someone was pokin' around, right?"

"Sure..." She murmured, her voice trailing off.

'George' leaned back against the drawers when Clementine noticed him standing on her's and Sarah's drawings. "Um, you're kind of..." She began.

He glanced down and saw the pieces of paper beneath his feet and stepped off them. "Terribly sorry" he apologised. "You were lucky my boots weren't muddy" he commented. "That's a good drawing of your dog there, Sam is it?... But who's this?" He asked, kneeling down and picking up Sarah's drawing. "Doesn't look like your art style, but I may be mistaken. So that's you *points to drawing of Clementine* but who's the other girl?"

"Just an old friend. She died" she replied weakly, taking the drawing from him.

"Really? Well I'm very sorry to hear that"

"Thanks" she muttered.

The two gave each other long hard states before 'George' finally spoke up "You have no idea who these people are, do you?" He asked gruffly.

"I don't know what you're talking about" she lied.

"Lemme ask you this. When you met 'em, how much did they trust you?"

"Pete trusted me" she replied simply, finally giving up on the act. _There's no way I can convince him now_

"If people don't trust you, how can you trust them?"

Clementine didn't answer, instead she just gave him a long hard stare. 'George' glanced around the room before coming to a conclusion "Well I think I've troubled you enough. I can let myself out" he said, pushing past her and moving downstairs.

"Why shouldn't I trust them?" She called down to him.

"You have a real good day, now" he told her, ignoring her question.

Clementine watched him go as Sarah crawled out from underneath the bed. Clementine rejoined her in the room as they both stated out the window, looking for any sign of the stranger.

"Where is he?" Sarah asked fearfully.

"He's gone" Clementine replied with great relief.

"What if he comes back?" Sarah asked, the two meeting each others gaze. Sam whined sadly.

* * *

Clementine and Sarah sat patiently on the sofa while Sam stood by the front door, guarding it in case the stranger came back. "We need to go find the others" Clementine said, breaking the silence between them.

"We can't go outside!" Sarah cried.

Clementine and Sarah entered the kitchen when the back door clicked open, and Nick was standing in the doorway, clutching his rifle "Clementine!" He yelled as soon as he met eyes with her.

"Sarah!" Carlos cried as his daughter embraced him in a hug.

"They told me about Pete. You know where he is, right? Come on, lets go" Luke said.

"A man was here" Sarah murmured quietly.

"What?!" Carlos yelled in surprise.

"What did she say?" Rebecca asked.

"Someone came to the cabin" Sarah spoke up.

"What?!" Rebecca cried in shock.

"Clementine talked to him" Sarah said, the group all looking in Clementine's direction.

"And you just opened the door for him?" Rebecca asked coldly.

"Calm down, Rebecca" Luke told her.

"Calm down?! I am calm! You calm down!" She yelled in response.

"I didn't open the door! He just came in. Me and Sarah were upstairs when he came into the cabin, there was nothing I could do." Clementine told them.

"She's telling the truth!" Sarah cried, backing Clementine's story up.

"And your dog didn't stop him?" Rebecca asked, glancing at Sam who stood in the doorway.

"There was nothing Sam could do. The only thing he could do was warn us" Clementine replied, defending Sam from accusations.

"Some guard dog he turned out to be" Rebecca murmured crossly.

"Did he say his name? Did he say what his name was?" Carlos asked worryingly.

"Maybe it wasn't him" Rebecca said weakly.

"We know damn well who it was" Alvin responded.

"He said his name was George" she told the cabin survivors.

"George?" Rebecca questioned.

"That's what he said."

"Look, Clem... Just tell us what he looked like" Carlos told her. "What was he wearing?" He asked. "Did he sound... Different?"

"He had a brown coat" she described.

"Did it.. Did it have lining? A collar?" Carlos questioned her description.

"Yeah. Fur." She replied simply.

"He talked about you, dad" Sarah said fearfully.

Carlos turned and scratched his chin, lost in thought. "You're not going to hurt anyone, are you?" Sarah asked nervously.

"Of course he won't, Sarah, all right? Your is the nicest man I know, which is why he's not going to do anything crazy or not nice... Right?" Luke asked Carlos.

"You know these are bad people, sweetie. They will do or say anything to hurt us" Carlos told her gently, placing his hand on Sarah's shoulder comfortingly.

"All right, what do you think? Did he seem like he'd be coming back?" Luke asked Clementine.

"He saw a drawing I made, of me and Clementine" Sarah spoke up, taking out the folded piece of paper she had kept in her pocket.

"Sarah..." Carlos murmured disappointedly, taking the drawing off her "You shouldn't leave stuff lying around"

"It's just a drawing. For all he knew it could have been made by me, it's not Sarah's fault" Clementine interrupted strongly. "He said he was scouting" she told them.

"I thought so" Carlos commented. "We got lucky, he wasn't expecting to find us. Clementine must have surprised him, if she hadn't been there..." His voice trailed off as he gave his daughter a concerned look. "Well, he was too smart to stick around but he'll be back with the rest. We don't have much time"

"He's right. Everyone pack up, we're movin' out" Luke ordered as Alvin barged past them and left the kitchen.

"Alvin, wait!" Rebecca called after him, following him out.

Carlos crouched in front of Sarah. "We have to leave now, sweetie, before he comes back with more bad guys. But everything's gonna be okay. Let's just go get your things" he told her gently.

"What does he want?" Clementine asked.

"To bring us back" Carlos told her. "Clem, I don't know what he told you but William Carver is a dangerous man. He is the leader of a camp not far from here, and he is very smart. We were... lucky to escape. Look, I'm sorry to involve you, but now that he's seen you, you'll be safer with us. We have to leave" Carlos finished, he and Sarah left the room.

"We have to find Pete" Nick said who had been absent for the entire discussion, watching from the sidelines.

"We'll get him on the way out, Nick. Clementine, you know where he was, right?" Luke asked.

"Yeah..." she replied, her voice trailed off as she remembered what happened back at the truck. _Oh Pete..._

"We could probably use Sam too, he might not be a sniffer dog but if Pete's not where you say he is maybe Sam could find him" Luke commented. "Alright everyone, grab your stuff. We're hitting the road"

Luke and Nick left the kitchen, leaving Sam and Clementine alone. Clementine knelt down and patted her knees, encouraging Sam to come to her "It'll be ok, boy, we'll leave the cabin and get away from Carver, we'll be safe, I promise" she told him, stroking his fur gently. "I won't abandon you like I did back at the river, I won't do that again, I promise, I'll protect you no matter what. I won't let anything harm you and I mean it this time. I won't let it happen again"

Clementine rose to her feet and wandered over to the drawer, pulling it open and taking the knife Carver had placed in it earlier. She felt the sharp tip of the blade and then sliced it through the air. Satisfied she tucked the knife into her waistband, the handle in reach of being drawn and then left the kitchen, Sam followed from behind as they prepared for the long journey ahead.

* * *

A rotting corpse was leaned against the trunk of a tree as Luke and Clementine walked along a forest trail "Now, you said it was just up here?" Luke asked.

"Yeah. Just a little ways" Clementine replied.

"Hey Clem... Sorry if I have you some shit back there, it's just I'm a little on edge" Rebecca told her, walking up next to Clementine. "It's just a tough time with the pregnancy and all."

"It's okay." Clementine responded simply.

"If it's not you I'm yellin' at, it's Alvin, then I'm really in trouble" Rebecca continued.

"I can handle it. I'm not a little kid."

"I felt the same way when I was your age. My dad was always givin' me shit and I always thought he didn't know a damn thing." She told Clementine, recalling on her own childhood. "I know you did your best back there. You know, none of us would make it on our own. Sometimes it's hard knowing how dependent I am on everyone. I'm not use to that. I'm not comfortable with that. I'm suppose to be a mum soon. Guess I need to work on my patience." She said, confinding in Clementine.

"Alvin and I still don't know what to call her. Or him, if that man gets his wish, god help me. Any ideas?" She asked, only to recieve no answer as Clementine strayed from the path. "Clem?"

Clementine walked into the clearing, moving towards the red truck which was touched by the bright light of the sun, the rays shining through the gaps in the branches. "There, that's where we were" she told the group that had followed her into the clearing.

Nick stared at the truck before sprinting towards it, throwing open the back doors and examining the inside "He's not in here!" He yelled.

"This was the last place I saw him" Clementine murmured, glancing round at the area.

"Maybe he's around here somewhere" Alvin commented hopefully.

Nick gave a saddened expression before wandering off in search of his uncle. Luke walked off in another direction while Carlos instructed everyone "Keep your eyes open. And stay in sight" he commanded.

Clementine and Sam wandered round to one side of the truck to see several walker bodies and a long trail of blood leading behind a rock. Sam growled and ran on ahead, following the trail of blood and disappearing "Sam!" Clementine cried protectively, running round the rock to meet eyes with Nick's uncle...

Pete lie rigidly on the ground, his rib cage opened up and his organs torn out and draped across the dirt. His skin was a pale grey, his face twisted in a silent scream, a bullet hole in the side of his head. Luke and Nick slowly approached "Oh my god" Nick breathed in disbelief. "What happened? What the hell happened?!" He cried out.

"He's been shot" Carlos said with a grimace.

"He didn't have a gun" Clementine said with a shocked look. "Who did this?" Clementine asked, glancing round at the darkest parts of the woods, where no light touched, only shadows. Luke embraced Nick in a hug, in an attempt to comfort his friend.

"Son of a bitch..." Alvin breathed.

"We need to go" Carlos told them all sternly.

The group slowly walked off into the trees, Clementine paused so Sam could catch up "You're suppose to stay close to me" she scolded "Don't run off like that again" she told him crossly. Sam lowered his head sadly and came to Clementine's side. "I just want to protect you, that's all" she whispered softly. "Come on, boy, lets go" she told him.

"He's gone, Nick. He- he's gone" Luke told Nick who continued to stare down at Pete's bloody corpse. "We gotta get movin'. Come on, man" Luke said, placing his hands on Nick's shoulders. Nick shrugged him off and staggered forwards when Luke patted his shoulder, urging him to keep moving which Nick reluctantly did so.

When they caught back up to the group Nick spoke up first "Tell me. Tell me how it happened" he somewhat demanded.

"The last thing he said was that he wanted to say goodbye to you" she told him.

"Fuck.." Nick choked up, sadness in his eyes. His pace slowed as he began to walk wearily, lagging behind Alvin and Rebecca at the back of the group.

"I'm worried about that kid, keep an eye on him for me, would you?" Luke asked. "You... Sure you still wanna come with us?"

Clementine thought for a moment while Luke continued to talk "I know we got off to a bit of a rough start. And I can't promise it won't get any rougher. But we all know you now"

"I have to look for Christa" Clementine responded.

"She was headed north, right?"

"Yeah"

"So are we. Look, you're gonna have a better chance of finding her with us than on your own" Luke told her. "Now, I figure we got four or five days to reach those mountains. Now if they're track in' us, we should be able to lose 'em up there" he said, taking out a ma and showing it to Clementine.

"Five days?" Rebecca questioned.

"It's going to be okay, Bec" Alvin told her confidently.

"We have to keep moving. We've got no other choice" Carlos told them.

**Five Days Later**

The group trudged wearily to the edge of the trees, catching sight of the large, rusted, red bridge crossing the river. The cabin survivors gathered together, resting while Luke studied the map and Clementine scrambled up a rock, using her binoculars to study the landscape around them.

"See anything?" Luke asked her curiously.

"She better see somethin'. We've been walkin' a damn week" Alvin grumbled from behind as Clementine gazed at the hillside.

"There's a lift or something" Clementine told them.

"Chair lift? Must be that ski resort" Luke responded, looking down at the map.

"I've never been skiing" Clementine muttered, taking the binoculars away from her eyes.

"Bec and I went once" Alvin spoke up, turning towards his wife.

"It wasn't pretty" she commented with a small chuckle.

Clementine lifted the binoculars to her eyes once again as the group continued to talk among themselves. "Here, eat this, Bec" Alvin offered Rebecca what seemed to be food judging by their conversation.

"But we're almost out of food. We gotta save it" Rebecca told him.

"There's a building on the mountain" Clementine commented.

"What's it look like?" Luke questioned.

"It's big" Clementine stated simply.

Luke turned his head towards Alvin and Rebecca, a small smile on his face "That sounds like a good place to spend the night"

"There's a little house by the bridge" Clementine commented, staring over at the other side of the river.

"How big is it?" Carlos called out.

"It's pretty small" she replied.

"There's the bridge" she commented.

"Does it look passable?" Luke asked.

"I think so" Clementine replied.

"Good" Luke stated simply.

Clementine tucked the binoculars away and began to clamber down, jumping off the rock and landing heavily on the ground. "We have to cross that bridge. Let's go" Carlos ordered.

"Hold on now. We can't all go sprinting across that thing, if we get spotted out there, we're gonna be trapped" Luke told him.

"Going around that lake will take too long" Carlos responded.

"Right, but.. We have no idea who's out there. Okay, I'm going to sneak across and make sure it's clear before we bring the whole group over there" Luke stated his plan.

"You think splitting up the group is a good idea?" Carlos asked.

"I never said it was a GOOD idea. But it's better than risking everyone at once"

"What's your plan?" Alvin asked.

"Me and Clem can scoot across low and slow and make sure no one's waitin' for us on the other side" Luke stated.

"We'll have a tough time coverin' for you back here" Alvin told him.

"Well, we'll just turn back if things get hairy"

Carlos folded his arms and gazed at Clementine before speaking up "Clementine should stay here, she's..." His voice trailed off as he tried to find the words.

"She's what?" Luke asked, he too folded his arms.

"She's just a little girl, Luke" Carlos stated, giving Clementine a concerned look.

"She's a valuable little girl" Luke corrected him.

"I can do it" Clementine spoke up.

"See? No problem" he commented. "It's gonna be fine. Okay? We'll signal you in 10 minutes. Just keep an eye out for a light at the far side" he ordered.

"I can go too" Nick said, raising from where he said, rifle in hand.

"You stay with the group" Luke told him gently.

"I'm fine, Luke!" He exclaimed angrily.

"I don't like this" Carlos spoke up.

"Yeah, well, when was the last time you liked anything, Carlos?" Luke responded.

"If somethin' happens I'll cover you" Nick told him strongly.

Luke turned his head towards Clementine "Come on" he told her briefly before walking off, Clementine came to his side. Sam came running after her, barking excitedly. Clementine turned to face Sam and crouched down in front of him.

"Stay with the group, Sam" she told him gently, Sam whined unhappily in response. "I'll be back soon, I promise" she told him. "You'll be safer with them". Clementine straightened up and glanced around at the group members, her eyes slowly landing on Alvin and Rebecca "Alvin, Rebecca" she called over.

"Yeah?" Alvin answered his name while Rebecca lifted her head.

"Could you watch Sam for me?" She asked.

"Sure, you go on ahead"

"Thank you" she replied gratefully, looking down at Sam. "Go on now, boy, I'll catch up to you later"

Sam lowered his head and sadly walked over to Alvin and Rebecca and sat down next to them. Clementine waved goodbye to Sam before turning and following Luke along the forest trail.

"Hey Clem, what happened back there with you and Sam?" Luke asked as they walked. "You two just seemed really close. You normally take him everywhere with you. You hardly ever separate"

"He'd be better off with the group, he's safe with them, it's too dangerous out here" Clementine replied, glancing round at the scenery.

"You sound like Carlos" he commented with a small smug grin. "I mean, he's always trying to 'shield' Sarah but you want to know what I think? I think that she needs to grow up sometime... What if something happens?"

"After what happened at the river, I'm not taking any chances. I'll protect him, no matter what"

"You definitely sound like Carlos" he repeated. "But, you know, Clem... You gotta let Sam do his own thing. He can manage by himself just fine, he proved that by escaping those lurkers and getting back to the cabin. Hell, didn't you say that he survived all on his own before you met him?"

"It's just... I don't want him to get hurt" Clementine responded sadly "He's my friend"

"You can't protect him forever. You can't change fate, Clem, it happens, you just have to accept it sometimes. It's hard but... You deal with it. He's capable of surviving on his own"

"Maybe.." Clementine murmured.

"I hope you have a decent weapon aside from that lousy pen knife" Luke said.

"I took a kitchen knife from the cabin" she told him.

"That's smart, good job" Luke told her.

"I don't even have my pen knife, I let Sarah borrow it" Clementine muttered.

"What? You gave Sarah a pen knife? Does Carlos know about this?" He asked.

"He doesn't know. He doesn't know that I showed Sarah how to shoot either"

"You showed her how to shoot?! When?!"

"When we were alone in the cabin, she asked me too." She told him.

"You should have let Carlos do that" Luke replied.

"But you just said that she needs to grow up sometime and I agree with you"

"It doesn't matter about what I said, you can't do that behind Carlos' back." Luke replied crossly. He sighed deeply and shook his head "He's gonna be pissed when he finds out... Why did you give Sarah your pen knife, anyway?" He asked.

"Back at the cabin we heard Sam barking at Carver so I gave her my knife just in case something went wrong, so she could protect herself. It was the right thing to do"

"I suppose. I would have done the same thing in your position... I just hope we lost him"

"It's been five days, why would Carver still be following us?" Clementine asked.

"What's the most important thing in this world? What does everyone want? Even the gangs, what are they all after?" He questioned, testing her.

"Family" Clementine stated simply.

"It's a tough world out there without people you can trust".

Clementine stared at the ground sadly, recalling on her own family and the vague memory of her mother and father. She missed their voices, their faces, she missed everything about them. _I wish they were here with me... _

"Anyways, you can ask Rebecca, okay? I'm not gonna get in the middle of that". "We've all made mistakes. Done things we regret. It's not my place to talk about someone else's past, you know?"

"I know what that's like" she murmured depressively.

"Yeah"

The two approached the bridge when they noticed to walking corpses close by. They were both immediately on high alter, keeping their eyes on the walkers. "Hm" Luke wondered. "Can't shoot 'em. Too much noise. But there are only two"

"Lets take 'em" Clementine said strongly.

"I like your style" Luke commented.

The two approached, ducking down behind a rock and studying them and figuring out a strategy "I've got the big one. You take shorty" Luke told her. "Wish we could use guns..." He murmured. "We should be okay"

"Got it. I'll go for the short one"

"Good. Let's do it" he said confidently. Luke and Clementine stood up, Luke took out his machete while Clementine took out her kitchen knife, squeezing the handle tightly. They glanced at one another, giving each other a brief nod before approaching the walkers. The short walker which Clementine was going for had no legs, his entire lower body had been stripped away leaving his torso lying there limply, rotting away, unable to move as it leaned back against a rock for support.

Clementine lifted the knife above her own head and stabbed it in the head, the sharp blade cutting through the skin, it's skull cracked and a loud hiss came from it's exposed brain as it's body lie still.

Luke sliced his machete at the tall walker, cutting through the back of it's head and neck, blood flowing from it's back as it's body swayed and collapsed to the ground. Clementine pulled the knife, ripping the blade out of the walkers head, it's body fell to one side.

"Nice work, kid" Luke told him, slapping Clementine on the shoulder.

Clementine stood there for a moment before a small throbbing pain began to sink in "Ow." She muttered, clutching her arm.

Luke's smile faded but returned when Clementine smiled up at him. The two turned and cautiously approached the bridge.

Clementine and Luke trudged cautiously across the bridge. As they approached what seemed to be a trailer on the tracks they noticed two walkers beside it. They both paused, watching as one of the walkers crawled out from underneath the trailer and got to it's feet, the two staggering towards them.

The sound of moans came from behind, Luke turned to see another walker approaching them, it's glazed over eyes hungrily staring at them. "Shit" Luke cursed, moving towards the walker, reaching for his machete while Clementine drew her kitchen knife.

Clementine glanced at the two approaching walkers and then at Luke before running after him. There was an almighty crash as the bridge gave weigh beneath Luke, breaking apart and causing him and the walker to fall. "Luke!" Clementine screamed.

"Clem! I'm okay, I just..." Luke looked around frantically as he tried to balance of the thin metal bars which were keeping him from falling into the ice cold water below. "I'm stuck". The walker which had fallen down along with him was impaled through the chest on a metal spike. The walker clawed at the air, hungrily reaching for Luke as he struggled.

Clementine stretched her arm down with no such look "I can't reach!" She told him.

"It's okay. Clem, look, we'll figure something out" he told her, trying his best to keep her and himself calm. Luke glanced at the walker in front of him and then looked up "Behind you!" He yelled, warning her of the other walkers presence.

Clementine quickly got to her feet, picking up the kitchen knife she had place down on the bridge and turning towards one of the walkers "Oh shit..." She cursed under her breath. She acted fast, stamping on the walkers knee, it's leg buckled and it fell onto its hands. She lifted the knife and stabbed it in the check, dark red blood trickling from the open wound. The walker was still alive. Clementine struggled as the walker snapped it's teeth hungrily, yearning to take a chunk out of her arm.

The eleven year old twisted the knife and pulled, ripping the blade out of the walkers face and cutting off a piece of flesh in the process. She stumbled back, almost falling off the edge of the bridge but only just managing to keep her balance. She barely had any time to react when the walker got up and lunged at her, Clementine quickly slide to the left, ducking behind one of the metal support beams. The knife went flying out of her hand and went hurtling down towards the river, the walker following it.

The second, female looking walker lunged towards her, Clementine jumped backwards but managed to grap onto the bridge, the rest of her body left dangling over the water and Luke could do nothing but watch. Clementine screamed, crying out in fear as she struggled to hold on. Tightening her grip she began to pull herself up, clambering back onto the bridge, the female walker lunged at her again and this time she was ready. Clementine slide to the left, jumping back onto the bridge as the walker became trapped between the metal support beams.

She made a quick decision, picking up a metal rod and turning towars the walker. She rose the metal rod and stabbed the walker threw the chest, the metal bar coming out of it's back. The walker choked up, blood foaming from it's mouth open mouth as Clementine ripped the metal rod out of it's chest, the walker staggered and in it's moment of weakness Clementine rammed the metal rod into the walkers gapping mouth, going straight through the back of it's head. It's jaw hung loosely and it's body went slack as Clementine tore the metal bar out of the walkers face and went running back to Luke.

She knelt over the large hole, hitting the impaled walker with the metal pipe in the face several times, killing it. Now the threat was dealt with she held the metal bar out to Luke. He took it, placing it down and using it to stand on while he pulled himself up to safety.

Luke arched his back and placed his hands on his knees, letting out a shaky sigh and breathing heavily. Clementine scratched her cheek and watched Luke as he straightened his back and turned towards her "Thanks, Clem" he said gratefully. Clementine nodded in response, a gesture to say "Your welcome"

The two turned their heads and stared at the other side of the bridge "Let's keep going" Luke told her.

Blood soaked, the two trudged along the bridge until Luke paused and held his arm out in front of Clementine, stopping her. "You see him?" Luke asked. Clementine squinted at the approaching survivor who seemed to be carrying a rifle.

Clementine nodded slowly "Yeah" she murmured.

"Just play it cool. And you do the talking" he told her.

"What?! Why me?" Clementine questioned.

"'Cause I don't want to get in a fight. You really think he'd shoot a little girl?". "Just don't make any sudden moves. And don't piss him off" Luke told her. "And don't tell him anything. Actually, on second thought maybe I should do the talking..."

"Is he with Carver?" Clementine asked worryingly.

"It's hard to see. I don't think so"

Clementine took a step forward while Luke had his hand close to his gun. "Well, who are you?" The stranger asked.

"Well, who's askin'?" Luke responded.

"I am"

"I'm Clementine. And this is Luke" Clementine told him, introducing themselves.

"Clementine and Luke" the stranger stated, repeating their names.

The three remained silent as the stranger approached them, taking a few more steps closer. "Hm. You two don't look like assholes. Are you assholes?" He asked. "No offence or anything. But you know how it is out here"

"I'm not an asshole" Clementine replied, folding her arms.

"Are you calling ME an asshole?" Luke asked her.

The stranger let out a small chuckle before approaching them. Now in clear view he seemed to be a hooded man with a goatee and a small moustache. "You folks headed north like everyone else?" He asked.

"'Everyone else'?" Luke questioned his words.

"I see at least one group a day move through here" the stranger told them. "You all look the same. It's like a great migration of the dazed and confused."

"Do you know Carver?" She asked.

"Carver? Like George Washington Carver? The peanut guy?" He asked.

"What? He's a man." Clementine stated.

"Never heard of him. I really want some peanut butter now, though" he told them with a small smile. "I gotta say, you two look like shit. If you need anything I've got some canned goods in the station back there"

"Well, that's, uh... awful nice of ya. What's the catch?" Luke asked.

"No catch. I've got plenty." He said kindly.

"Well all right then. Thank you" Luke said gratefully.

"Hey, no problem. Nice meeting a couple of friendly faces out here for once. Like I said, I got food and supplies in the station and if you want..." His voice trailed off as he stared at something behind Luke and Clementine. "What the fuck, man?" He asked, Clementine and Luke quickly turning to see Nick running across the bridge towards them. Nick paused, panic in his eyes as he lifted his rifle and aimed at the stranger who also aimed his rifle at him.

"No, no, no, no, no. He's wi- he's with us!" Luke yelled. "Nick! No!" Luke yelled at his friend, waving his arms furiously.

"DON'T SHOO-" Clementine began, when Luke grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her to the ground as a gunshot fired. Clementine and Luke slowly lifted their heads to see the stranger clutching his neck, blood spraying out of the open wound, soaking his hood, his body swayed as he aimed his gun with one hand but fell off the bridge, a large splash following as he hit the water.

Luke walked up to the edge of the bridge before turning and storming up to Nick. "Did I hit him? Where is he?" Nick asked as he approached, clutching his rifle.

"I told you not to shoot" Luke growled angrily.

"What? Who was that guy?"

"He was going to help us..." Clementine murmured.

"How do you know?"

"Dammit, Nick, I told you not to shoot" Luke said with annoyance and anger.

"How was I supposed to hear you? You gave me a clear shot!" Nick yelled.

"That's not rang out for miles" Luke stated, worried about attracting more walkers. "We gotta get off this bridge. Come on, let's go" he said, gesturing for the approaching group to follow. Clementine and Luke walked to the end of the bridge while Nick trailed behind.

The group stood by the small station at the end of the bridge. Clementine turned and watched as Sam came bounding up to her. With a small smile she knelt down and hugged him, stroking the fur on his neck. "Hey, boy" she whispered softly, rubbing her cheek against his fur. Sam barked happily as Clementine pulled away and stood up, turning her head towards Alvin "Was he a good boy back there?" She asked.

"Yeah, he did what he was told, he just didn't seem to like being left behind." Alvin told her.

"Makes sense" she murmured, staring down at Sam as he sat there wagging his tail, tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth.

"Who the fuck... was that back there?" Rebecca interrupted breathlessly, sitting down on a log and clutching her stomach.

"I don't know" Luke replied.

"Looked like he had a gun on you" Alvin commented.

"That asshole drew on me! He was about to shoot" Nick lied.

"Oh, was he?" Luke asked crossly.

"I'm telling you, man, he drew first"

"Well that's not what it looked like to me" Luke responded.

"Shut up, Nick" Clementine told him crossly, the thought of what happened back at the bridge flashing through her mind. _That's not what happened... Nick... _

Nick gave her an angry glare which wasn't returned as Clementine had her eyes closed. "What did you see, Clem? Did it look like the guy was going to shoot?" Alvin asked.

"Fuck you, Luke. You've been on my case this whole week" Nick growled.

"He wasn't going to do anything" Clementine replied truthfully.

"I know what I saw" Nick stated.

"Either way, you coulda shot one of us instead" Luke told him.

"Yeah, but did I? No!"

"Look, I... I know Pete was close to you Nick but you can't-" Luke began.

"Don't fucking talk about him" Nick said, cutting him off.

"Do you think he was with Carver?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know. I.. No. I don't think so. But he fell over" Luke replied.

"He fell off the damn bridge?" Alvin asked, hands in pockets.

"We have to keep moving" Carlos stated.

"I can't. I need a minute" Rebecca said from where she rested.

"Fine." Carlos replied simply. Carlos glanced at Nick, giving him a concerned look "Luke, can I talk to you alone?" He asked.

Luke said nothing but turned and followed Carlos over to the edge of the trees. Nick watched them go, grinding his own teeth crossly before storming off towards the station and slumping down on a bench outside, distant from the group.

"Hey, Clem. You got anything to eat? Bec's starving over here" Alvin asked, concerned for his wife and child.

"Alvin, I told you, I'm fine" Rebecca said with a wave of her hand.

"Sorry. I'm out" Clementine replied.

"Wish we still had those juice boxes" Alvin muttered.

"Yeah, me too" Sarah spoke up.

"That man said he had food in the station" Clementine commented.

"Mind checkin' it out?" He asked. "Maybe we can spend the night here" he suggested. "Little small for us, though"

"Sure" Clementine replied kindly.

"Thanks Clem" Alvin said gratefully, sitting down on the log next to his wife.

Clementine wandered towards the station where she noticed Sam standing my the door, sniffing at the entrance curiously. She paused by the bench Nick was on and stared at him sadly as he leaned forward and rubbed his forehead. Nick let out a shaky sigh before moving his hand away and sitting up, meeting eyes with Clementine. The two were silent when suddenly Nick came out with; "I had to kill my mum"

Clementine's eyes soften at his words, pity written all over her face. "Sounds weird when I say it out loud, huh?" Nick asked in a deep emotionless tone. "Luke always use to push me. I never wanted to go into business with him. I remember when he sold me out on it. His plan. His big fuckin' plan. Case of beer and he was like "Nick, we're burnin' daylight". And that was that. After six months, we were flat broke. But I didn't care, we were havin' fun. I wish I was like him. I wish I could just keep movin' all the time. But I'm just not... built like that." He told her, finishing off his story.

Nick glanced over at Luke and Carlos as they were caught up in the middle of their conversation. "I bet they're talking about me" he commented. "'Luke, he's becoming a danger to the group'" Nick said, imitating Carlos' accent. "So, who was that guy?" He asked. "I swear, it's looked like he was holdin' you guys up. I figured he was with Carver." He told her.

"He seemed nice" Clementine replied with a shrug.

"Damn..." Nick muttered. "If Alvin's in front of me, he takes that shot. What a fuckin' mess. Maybe I am losing it, I don't know anymore" he said with a small sigh. "God, I'm hungry" he murmured. "What time is it, anyway?" He asked, glancing at his wrist. "Damn. Damn!" He muttered angrily, hitting the bench with his fist.

"What's the matter?" Clementine asked curiously.

"I left my watch back at the cabin. It was Pete's, he gave it to me" Nick replied, placing his head in his hand.

"I'm sorry, Nick." Clementine apologised sadly "I wish I could help"

"It's okay, there's nothing you could do" Nick replied, lifting his head. "You know what? I'm gonna go talk to them" he said, rising from where he sat and walking over to Luke and Carlos.

Clementine watched him go before walking over to the station and up to Sam "Hey, boy, you smell anything?" She asked him. Sam barked in response. Clementine moved past him and peered in through the window. Seeing no signs of danger she grabbed the door knob and twisted it, pulling the door and walking inside, Sam followed after her. Inside the station was a bed and next to it was a radio. By the large windows was a grey trunk and next to it were several empty peach cans. Sam walked over to the can and sniffed at them hungrily, licking the inside only to find no remains of food.

"The man said he had food. There's got to be something left" Clementine murmured. Sam moved away from the can and sniffed around the grey trunk before barking.

"What is it, boy, did you find something?" She asked, Sam barked in response, wagging his tail furiously. Taking that as a 'Yes', Clementine pulled on the lid of the trunk only to find out it was locked. "I don't see a key around here. That man probably had it" she murmured, rising to her feet "We better keep looking, boy, there's got to be someway to get this thing open"

Clementine wandered over to a side desk, noticing what seemed to be a survival knife with the initials MW engraved on the handle. She paused before lifting her hand and taking the knife, slicing it through the air "Feels pretty good" she commented, putting it away. Walking back over to the trunk she put the knife through the latch and pulling hard. The lock broke off and Clementine opened up the trunk, and studying the inside. Sam sniffed at the inside of the trunk curiously as Clementine picked up one of two cans from inside as Alvin entered the station.

"Man, I thought we and it bad. Look at this dump" Alvin commented, walking over to Clementine and glancing at the can in her hand. "Looks like he did have food. Man, fuck Nick. Nick's lost a lotta of his people, that's for sure. But that doesn't give him any excuse to start shootin' up strangers"

"He was trying to help us" Clementine responded, defending Nick.

"Yeah, and someone died, I ain't no judge but that's straight up murder in my book" Alvin replied. "I mean, you ever known anyone to do a thing like that?" He asked.

"Lots of people, it happens all the time now." Clementine replied sadly.

"It's fuckin' crazy. Pardon my French" he apologised on his language. Alvin leaned over the trunk and picked up the can, a small smile on his face. "That's funny, she looks just like you" he commented, comparing the girl on the can to Clementine. "Hey, Clem, there's not a lot of food here and well... Bec's eatin for two. You don't mind if we keep this between us, do you? He asked. "I hate to even say it but.. And I'd never go aganist the group. But I gotta put Bec and the baby first"

"The whole group should decide" Clementine responded.

"I know you're right. It's just so hard right now". "It's a shame, Nick was a good guy. He's still a good guy, he's just losin' it" Alvin said, scratching the back of his head. "God knows we ain't perfect, hell... I'm glad you're with us, Clementine"

Sam barked eagerly for attention, rubbing himself against Clementine's leg "You too, Sam" Alvin added. He turned and walked up to the window when he noticed something outside "What the hell is that?" He asked. Clementine and Sam quickly joined him to see a large herd of walkers moving across the bridge. "Walkers" Clementine stated simply.

"We gotta problem here" Alvin said, exiting the station.

"Yeah, we saw. Alright, we're headin' up" Luke declared. The whole group ran away from the approaching walkers and towards the cover of the trees.

* * *

The group trudged up the hillside towards a large building on the mountain. The sky was clouded and dark, a rumble of thunder came from a far as they reached the building. Nick and Carlos were crouched down cautiously, scanning the area while Rebecca walked up to them "Well? What are we waiting for?" She asked breathlessly.

"We have to be careful" Carlos replied in a hushed voice.

"Careful? We've been travelling for five days... My back is done being careful" Rebecca replied, placing her hands on her hips.

"Doesn't look like anybody's home" Alvin commented, looking inside the building through nailed up wooden boards. "Damn. Nailed down tight" he muttered, tugging at the wooden boards. "I'll go check round front" Alvin said, wandering off.

"I'll go with you" Carlos suggested, following from behind.

Clementine stood by a wooden balcony, staring down the mountain and studying the landscape. "Well, it'd be good to know if anybody's following us" Luke said, joining her. "Could probably get a better look up top too. You'd have an easier climb than me. You mind takin' a look?" He asked, glancing at the chair lifts. "It'll be just like climbing a treehouse. A really tall treehouse"

"I had a treehouse once" Clementine murmured sadly, recalling on the sanctuary she had made in that little wooden box high up in the tree. It also reminded her of the day she met Lee.

"Well there you go"

"I hated it" she muttered.

"Oh." Luke said weakly before pushing his wait off the wooden banister and approaching the chair lift, Clementine followed. Sam was sniffing around the building when he noticed Clementine walking off and bounded over, joining her.

Clementine walked up to the ladder and stared up at the chair lift. "You stay down here, Sam" she told him, and doing as he was told Sam took a small step back from the ladder.

"Just take it real slow and I'll catch you if you fall. Probably" Luke told her. Hearing the word 'probably' Clementine turned towards him and flashed him an angry glare before turning back to the ladder and the task at hand. "Got a good grip?" He asked as Clementine latched onto the cold metal and began to make the climb.

"Yeah" she replied simply.

"When I was a kid, me and my friends used to jump rooftops downtown. Now that was fun" he told her.

"That sounds stupid" Clementine commented, halfway up the ladder.

"Hell yeah it was. The key thing was to not look down, though"

Clementine's grip slipped and she fell back, managing to grab hold of the ladder with her hands and placing her feet back on the metal. "Ahhh!" She cried out in surprise, gripping the ladder tightly and not wanting to let go or move.

"Whoa, whoa. You're okay, just look at me, okay? You're fine" Luke told her, arms out stretched just in case she fell. "All right, just- slow down. Just for a second, okay?"

"You just told me not to look!" She cried.

"Fair point"

Clementine continued to climb, reaching the top and staring at the surrounding area. "Made it!" She told him, a black crow standing on the chair lift flapped its wings and flew off.

"See anything?" Luke asked as Clementine lifted the binoculars and studied the scenery around her. "I can see the bridge!" She called out.

"Wait, I see something!" She said, noticing a bright light on the distance.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"A light-" she began when she was cut off by Sam's loud barking. "What's he barking at?" She asked, lowering her binoculars and glancing down from the stair lift to see Sam running off towards the group.

"I don't know, I'll go see" Luke replied and sprinting over to the group.

"I'm coming too!" Clementine added, clambering down the ladder as fast as she could. Once she was close to the bottom she jumped down, landing heavily and steadily approaching the group as they were in the middle of a heated argument with another.

"Look everyone, just calm down" Luke ordered, hands raised in what seemed to be a surrender.

"Who are you?! Are you trying to rob us?" A woman with a foreign accent questioned.

"Excuse me, honey, but do I look like a fucking thief?" Rebecca answered back.

"Everybody calm down" another stranger ordered.

"Hey, man, you calm the fuck down" Alvin responded.

"Sarah, he behind me" Carlos told his daughter protectively.

"Just tell us who you are"

"We ain't hear to rob nobody. Just put the gun down, man" Alvin told the stranger holding a rifle. Sam was still barking viscously.

"Fuck that!" An all too familiar voice yelled.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa"

"Please just die what he says!" The women cried out.

Clementine looked frantically round for Sam when she noticed him at the front of the group, growling aggressively. She managed to make her way through the crowd of people when she noticed an all too familiar face standing in front of Sam, clutching a gun. Kenny stood there, rifle in hand and finger over the trigger, his dark brown eyes seemed to have a glint of light in the darkest corners. His cap casted a shadow over his face, his moustache was barely visible as it was now linked up with a grey bread which was also attached to his sideburns.

Kenny eyes flashed from the group and then to Clementine before pausing and slowly lowering the rifle, a look of shock on his face. Clementine quickly moved past Luke and Nick, crying out "Kenny?!"

"Wait, you know this guy?" Luke asked. Sam's barking stopped, his ears drooped and he closed his mouth, no longer showing his teeth.

"...Clementine?" Kenny stuttered in disbelief.

Clementine threw her arms around Kenny's waist, embracing him in a hug. Kenny wrapped his arms around her, placing one hand on her head and lowering his own, a small smile forming on his face. Clementine gently pulled away, a warm beaming smile on her face as Kenny knelt down and placed his hand on her shoulder, his eyes softened.

"I'll take that as a yes" the red and grey jumper wearer commented.

Sam walked up to Clementine's side, rubbing himself against her. Clementine smiled down at him and rushed her fingers through his fur and looking back at Kenny as he lowered his hand. "These people with you?" He asked, glancing at the group.

Clementine nodded briefly as Kenny rose to his feet "We can talk inside" he said, gesturing at the building.

"Great. I just started dinner" the red and grey jumper wearer added.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Carlos asked, his arms folded.

"Please. Come in" the man replied kindly.

The group slowly began to walk around back, Clementine and Kenny were at the front, Kenny looked down at Clementine with a smile on his face.

**END OF PART 1**


End file.
